Ghana suffered a 3-2 defeat in their 2022 World Cup opener against Portugal, with Cristiano Ronaldo scoring a controversial penalty in Doha.
Ronaldo's goal gave Portugal the lead, but Ghana's tenacity paid off when Andre Ayew equalised. While Ghanaians were still celebrating, Portugal scored through Joao Felix, and the Europeans soon led 3-1.
With a close-range header, substitute Osman Bukari gave Ghana hope, setting up a tense finish at Stadium 974.
The international press reacted to the match, and the majority weren't particularly with the choice of Ronaldo as the man of the match.
In Spain, the newspaper 'El Mundo' was not exactly friendly with Ronaldo. According to the aforementioned publication, the Portuguese international - considered the best on the field - was no better than players like João Félix, Bernardo Silva and Bruno Fernandes and made use of the status he has in FIFA. About the exhibition of Portugal, the newspaper talks about "melancholy".
For the newspaper 'Marca', Bruno Fernandes was the best on the field and, once again, Ronaldo received the final distinction “without playing a good game”. Regarding Portugal, the aforementioned publication is clear and stresses that the 'Equipa das Quinas' “can play much better”.
Who turned out to be more sympathetic to Ronaldo was the newspaper 'AS', which highlighted the Portuguese record of becoming the first player to score in five World Cups.
Finally, 'Mundo Deportivo' highlights the performance of João Félix as a "key" player in the victory against Ghana and 'BBC News' speaks, once again, of Ronaldo's record against Ghana.
From Spain, we travel to France, where 'Le Parisien' begins by mentioning that “from tears to liberation, Ronaldo is the first player to score in five World Cups”, not forgetting to mention the waste of the number 7 shirt in the first half.
In England, the newspaper 'The Guardian' stands out, which talks about how the captain's goal changed what the game was about.
The last trip we make is to Italy, where the 'Gazzetta dello Sport' says that Ronaldo "did not disappoint" after Messi's bitter debut and also with an emphasis on Rafael Leão, the Portuguese international who plays in Italy.
The 'Corriere dello Sport' probably has the most original headline of Portugal's victory and highlights the most suffocating moment of Portugal's victory against Ghana with the distraction of Diogo Costa in the 98th minute and the face of Ronaldo. For the good of the Portuguese, there were no changes in the final result.