5 talking points as Ronaldo answers critics in Portugal win over spirited Ghana

Cristiano Ronaldo made history as Portugal burst into life in the second half to overcome Ghana and get their World Cup campaign off to a winning start.

The superstar striker became the first player in history to score in five different editions of the tournament by converting a penalty he won in the 65th minute. Andre Ayew hit back for the Black Stars eight minutes later but Joao Felix and Rafael Leao scored fine goals for Portugal to ensure they seized the initiative in Group H, though Osman Bukari scored a late goal to keep Fernando Santos' side on their toes until the very last second.

Leao's strike was the pick of the evening's goals as he swept into the far corner from a Bruno Fernandes pass to show just why he is linked with a big-money move from AC Milan to the Premier League.

Here are five talking points from Stadium 974.

Ronaldo's rollercoaster

First there were nearly tears, then frustration, then delight.

Against a backdrop of leaving Manchester United and fined £50,000 by the Football Association, the spotlight was fixed on Cristiano Ronaldo with even more blinding intensity than usual as Portugal got their campaign underway. Ahead of kick-off, he fought back his emotions as the Portuguese national anthem blared out - a poignant moment as he became the fifth player to feature at five different World Cups.

But joining a select group of players has never been enough for the five-time Ballon d'Or winner and he soon one-upped his rivals by becoming the only player in history to score at five editions of the tournament. After an underwhelming first half during which he lacked his usual cutting edge, Ronaldo was brought down in the box by Mohammed Salisu - albeit somewhat softly - and emphatically fired home from 12 yards.

A good section of Stadium 974 could be heard joining in with the icon's 'Siu' celebration.

Ayew watching?

Well, that certainly wasn't in the script.

After Cristiano Ronaldo etched his name in the history books once again, Portugal appeared to be cruising towards three important Group H points. The men in red and green had been superior for much of the game and an improved second-half performance from Ghana was stopped in its tracks by Ronaldo's penalty.

However, falling behind did not break the Black Stars' spirit and they drew level eight minutes later after a sweeping move which will have left Portugal manager Fernando Santos tearing his hair out. All it took was one ball down the left flank to find Mohammed Kudus in acres of space and the midfielder found Ayew with a fine cut-back to finish powerfully from close range.

But the best of this fixture was yet to come.

Frantic finale

Bruno Fernandes was at the centre of everything for Portugal during the final 20 minutes at Stadium 974 and picked up two vital assists to ensure victory.

The Manchester United playmaker played a brilliant incisive pass to locate Joao Felix, who restored Portugal's lead with a composed strike five minutes after Andre Ayew's equaliser. Seconds later, Rafael Leao seemed to have overcome the Black Stars once and for all with a brilliant, inch-perfect effort to guide the ball beyond Lawrence Ati-Zigi after collecting from Fernandes at a tight angle; it is no surprise the Red Devils are monitoring the AC Milan forward.

But, in-keeping with Ghana's performance, they never gave up and Osman Bukari nodded past Diogo Costa to make the nine minutes of added time interesting. In the final few seconds, there was almost the ultimate drama as Inaki Williams picked goalkeeper Diogo Costa's pocket and slipped as he tried to equalise, before Portugal frantically cleared.

Galvanised Ghana

Although they hardly posed a threat until nearly an hour had been played, Ghana deserve credit for the way they nullified Portugal's formidable line-up for over an hour.

The likes of Bruno Fernandes, Bernardo Silva and Joao Felix struggled to unpick a rigid 5-3-2 formation which featured Arsenal midfielder Thomas Partey, former Swansea and West Ham striker Andre Ayew and two Premier League centre-backs in Southampton's Mohammed Salisu and Leicester's Daniel Amartey.

In the knowledge that a point from this game would be a success with group games against South Korea and Uruguay to come, the Black Stars were happy to sit deep and search for the draw from the outset. A lapse in concentration from Salisu saw their hard work seemingly undone after 64 minutes of hard work, but they showed great fight to score twice in the final quarter of the match, even if they left empty handed.

Stalemate swerved

After witnessing just one goalless draw from all 64 games at the World Cup in Russia four-and-a-half years ago, fans came into this match wondering who switched off the goals machine in the Middle East.

There had been four 0-0 stalemates in the first round of group-stage fixtures in Qatar, and Portugal versus Ghana looked destined to take a similar course, with just two shots on target from Portugal in the first half, during which Ghana failed to register an effort or a touch in the opposition penalty area.

At this early stage of the tournament, questions were already being asked: Is it the desert heat proving sapping intensity from games? Is the unusual timing of this World Cup meaning legs are more tired than usual? Are teams simply being more conservative?

Well, fortunately for fans at Stadium 974, the game burst into life in the final half-four, with supporters treated to five goals, including one from superstar Cristiano Ronaldo.

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