Monitoring/Sports Desk
ISLAMABAD: Cristiano Ronaldo has become the first male footballer in history to score in five different editions of FIFA World Cup as he slotted home a controversial penalty to help Portugal beat Ghana 3-2 in their Group H clash.
Having scored in the previous four tournaments, the Portuguese Captain now has eight world cup goals to his name.
Ronaldo opened scoring at Doha’s Stadium 974 in the 65th minute by landing the ball into the top corner of the net from the penalty spot. It was also his 118th goal for Portugal
However, the penalty was a controversial one which was awarded after Ronaldo crashed on the turf after minimal contact with Ghana defender Mohammed Salisu. Ghana coach Otto Addo termed the penalty decision as a “gift” to Ronaldo.
Ghana staged a comeback, scoring twice with the help of André Ayew and Osman Bukhari, but Joao Felix and Rafael Leao helped weather the two late efforts from their opponents to lead their team to victory.
The greatest of all time
Following Ronaldo’s historic goal, fans around the stadium, many of whom were wearing shirts having his name on the back, stood up on their seats to applaud the football legend. Meanwhile, many on social media referred to the 37-year-old as the greatest football player of all time.
The five-time Ballon d’Or winner’s most successful world cup was in 2018 in Russia, where he scored four goals, 3 of which were in a single match – a 3-3 draw with Spain.
Brazilian striker Marta holds the record for the first player ever to score in five World Cups – both categories: men and women. She achieved the feat in 2019, with Canadian Christine Sinclair levelling it that same year.
