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Ronaldo breaks record as Portugal up and running with Ghana win

Published

3 years ago

November 25, 2022

Cristiano Ronaldo drew a line under a tumultuous tournament build-up as he wrote his name in the record books to become the first man to score in five World Cups in a 3-2 victory for Portugal over Ghana on Thursday, Reuters reported.

Ronaldo drilled home a penalty in the 65th minute of the Group H encounter to set his side on their way and while Andre Ayew equalised for Ghana, Portugal turned on the afterburners with two quick-fire goals to effectively seal the deal at Stadium 974.

According to Reuters Joao Felix produced a delicate finish to give them the lead and Rafael Leao added a third to hand Portugal their first win in the opening match of the World Cup since 2006, even if Osman Bukari pulled another one back for Ghana late on.

The win was not the most convincing for Portugal, and will come as some relief for Fernando Santos’s side, who top the group with three points and next face Uruguay on Monday, when Ghana play South Korea.

For all Portugal’s enterprising attacking play and the goalscoring performances of Felix and Leao, it was Ronaldo who once again showed his unparalleled ability to draw the limelight.

“I think Cristiano is a phenomenon, a legend… in 50 years’ time, we will still be talking about him,” Santos said.

The bitter end to Ronaldo’s second spell at Manchester United had dominated the build-up to the match in much the same way the forward seems to dominate the way Portugal play, read the report.

Against Ghana, Ronaldo seemed to exert a planetary gravitational pull on the ball, with team mates seeking him out at every opportunity.

For vast swathes of the match, everything revolved around Ronaldo, who lurked threateningly on the edge of the Ghana box, with almost all his side’s attacking moves ending up at his feet.

He had two early chances, a one-on-one when a heavy touch let him down, and a header where he typically hovered in the air before glancing his effort wide.

He then smacked the ball in the back of the net after 31 minutes only to realise the referee had already blown his whistle for a foul.

For Ghana, the youngest squad at the World Cup, their early ambitions rarely stretched beyond the halfway line as the lowest-ranked side in the tournament set about keeping almost everyone behind the ball at all times in the first half, Reuters reported.

Most of the action was condensed into a relatively short period after the 60th minute with Portugal taking the lead when awarded a soft penalty after Ronaldo went down following minimal shoulder-to-shoulder contact with Mohammed Salisu.

Ronaldo closed his eyes as he waited to begin his run up, stuttered and smashed the ball into the net to the keeper’s right.

The entire Portugal team raced down the touchline to pile on top of the 37-year-old, who surpassed Pele, Uwe Seeler and Miroslav Klose as the only player to find the net in five separate men’s World Cups.

It is the 10th consecutive major tournament in which Ronaldo has found the net although Ghana coach Otto Addo was not in the mood to be charitable.

“It was the wrong decision… It was actually a foul against us,” he said of the penalty award.

“If somebody scores a goal, congratulations. But this was a gift. A special gift from the referee.”

As it was, his Ghana side fired back quickly when Mohammed Kudus’s cross bobbled its way through a defender’s legs to Ayew who tapped home.

Portugal, however, then revved into gear with Felix latching onto a Bruno Fernandes throughball and lifting his finish nonchalantly over the keeper, read the report.

Fernandes was the architect of their third goal too, playing another superb throughball for substitute Leao to slide his finish across the keeper and into the bottom corner.

There was tension at the end, however, as Ghana pulled another goal back with Osman Bukari, appearing unmarked in the box, heading in a cross from the left in the 89th minute, giving a sliver of hope to Ghana’s fans behind that goal.

There was to be no fairytale ending for the Ghanaians though and the night belonged to Ronaldo.

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Police detain organiser of Messi visit after Indian fans rip up seats

Published

2 hours ago

December 14, 2025

Ariana News

Lionel Messi’s tour of India kicked off chaotically on Saturday as fans threw objects, ripped up seats and invaded the pitch at Kolkata’s Salt Lake stadium after the Argentine soccer great made only a brief appearance at a ticketed event.

Satadru Dutta, the event’s chief organiser, has been detained by police, said Rajeev Kumar, director general of West Bengal police, Reuters reported.

Messi was scheduled for a 45-minute visit to the stadium, but his appearance lasted just 20 minutes. Tickets for the event were priced from around 3,500 rupees ($38.65) – more than half of average weekly income in India – but one fan said he had paid $130.

Fans in the Salt Lake stadium in the capital of the Eastern state of West Bengal threw ripped-up seats and other objects onto the field, while several people climbed a fence around the field and hurled objects.

“I can’t believe there was so much mismanagement,” said Eddie Lal Hmangaihzuala, who had travelled nearly 1,500 km from Mizoram over two days to attend the event.

“Messi left quickly, I think he felt unsafe. I hardly got a glimpse of him,” he told Reuters.

The organisers of the tour did not immediately respond to a request for a comment.

“We’ve already detained the main organiser,” Rajeev Kumar told reporters. “We’re taking action so that this mismanagement does not go unpunished.

“He has already pledged in writing that tickets sold for the event should be refunded,” he added.

CHIEF MINISTER APOLOGISES, ORDERS PROBE

Messi is in India as part of a tour during which he is scheduled to attend concerts, youth football clinics and a padel tournament, and to launch charitable initiatives at events in Kolkata, Hyderabad, Mumbai and New Delhi.

The chief minister of West Bengal, Mamata Banerjee, apologised to Messi and ordered a probe into the incident.

“I am deeply disturbed and shocked by the mismanagement witnessed today at Salt Lake stadium,” Banerjee, who was on her way to the event when chaos broke out, posted on X.

“I sincerely apologise to Lionel Messi, as well as to all sports lovers and his fans, for the unfortunate incident,” she said.

She said she was constituting a committee to conduct a detailed enquiry into the incident, assign responsibility, and recommend measures to prevent such occurrences in the future.

West Bengal, Kerala and Goa states have long had large soccer followings in otherwise cricket-crazed India.

Multiple incidents of fan riots have taken place at Salt Lake stadium, including during a Kolkata derby match between East Bengal and Mohun Bagan in 2012 which was abandoned after a brick thrown from the stands hit a player, seriously injuring him.

Argentine soccer great Diego Maradona twice visited Kolkata, and in 2017 unveiled a statue there of himself holding the World Cup in the presence of thousands of fans.

Messi, who captained Argentina for the first time in a friendly match at the Salt Lake stadium in a 1-0 win over Venezuela in 2011, virtually unveiled a 70-foot statue of himself in Kolkata earlier on Saturday.

Sport

ACL: Jawanan Perozi 1-0 Arman FC; Abu Muslim Farah 2-0 Sarsabz Yashlar

Published

18 hours ago

December 13, 2025

Ariana News

In the 37th match of the fifth season of the Afghanistan Champions League, Jawanan Perozi defeated Arman FC 1-0, securing a well-earned victory.

In the 38th match, held on Saturday, Abu Muslim Farah triumphed 2-0 over Sarsabz Yashlar in an exciting contest.

Monday’s fixtures will continue with two more matches:

In the 39th match, Khurasan Faryab will face Sorkh Poshan Khafi at 10:00 AM.
In the 40th match, Aino Mina will take on Sarafan Herat at 1:30 PM.

All matches will be broadcast live on Ariana Television, allowing football fans across the country to follow every moment of the excitement and intensity of the new season of the Afghanistan Champions League.

Sport

Victories for Sorkh Poshan Khafi and Abu Muslim Farah in Afghanistan Champions League

Published

3 days ago

December 11, 2025

Ariana News

In the 33rd match of the fifth season of the Afghanistan Champions League, Sorkh Poshan Khafi delivered a solid performance to defeat Jawanan Perozi with a decisive 2–0 victory.

In the 34th match of the competition, held on Thursday, Abu Muslim Farah also put on an impressive display, overcoming Ettifaq Khanzadah with a 3–1 win and adding two more valuable points to their tally.

The competition continues tomorrow (Friday) with two more matches:

In the 35th match, Khurasan Faryab will face Aino Mina at 10:00 AM.
In the 36th match, Istiqlal Kabul will take on Ettifaq Khanzadah at 1:30 PM.

All matches are broadcast live on Ariana Television, allowing football fans across the country to follow every moment of the excitement and intensity of the new season of the Afghanistan Champions League.