Ghana’s fans were most animated after their 2-3 defeat and in fact, celebrated it at the Stadium 974 in full gusto last night. There was a lot of singing and dancing around the stadium as the fans headed to the exit. Mid-day caught up with the large group of Ghana fans and learnt that the celebration was because they believed their team had made a brilliant start to the competition despite a close 2-3 defeat to Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal.
Ronaldo opened the scoring with a 61st minute penalty but Ghana hit back immediately through their skipper Andre Ayew in the 73rd minute. Joao Felix and Rafael Leao scored within the next seven minutes to give Portugal a 3-1 advantage before Ghana’s Osman Bukhari pulled one back in the 89th minute.
Ghana fans singing and dancing on Thursday. Pic/ Ashwin Ferro
The Ghana fans however felt their team got a raw deal from the match officials. “That was not a penalty. I’ve always noticed that African players are frequently pulled up for fouls they’ve not even committed. It’s probably our aggressive style of play that causes referees to do this. Ronaldo was not fouled there [to be awarded a penalty],” 39-year-old Accra resident Reginald Annan told mid-day moments after the match.
Ghana fans Reginald (2nd from right) and Richard (extreme left). Pic/ Ashwin Ferro
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His friend Richard Achemapong, 37, added, “Despite this win, the way we have played against a strong team like Portugal, I have no doubt that we will progress to the next round. And don’t forget, we nearly equalised in stoppage time [when Portuguese goalkeeper Diogo Costa placed the ball down not knowing Ghana forward Inaki Williams was behind him and the latter nearly got to the ball before he slipped and missed].”
Ghana fans after the match. Pic/ Ashwin Ferro
Ghana however, have a tough path to progression, considering they also have Uruguay and South Korea for company in Group H.
The skillful South Americans and the gritty Asian side played out a goalless draw earlier in the day, ensuring Portugal top the group.
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