Asamoah Gyan, a former captain of the Black Stars, thinks that Cristiano Ronaldo profited from a controversial decision for his penalty goal against Ghana in their 2022 World Cup Group H match at the Stadium 974.
After Andre Ayew had canceled out Ronaldo’s opening penalty kick, Portugal prevailed 3-2 thanks to goals from Jao Felix and Raphael Leao.
A late second goal from Ghana was headed in by Osman Bukhari, but the Portuguese held on to defeat the team who gave Africans hope.
Gyan called the penalty call “soft” while serving as a pundit for SuperSport TV during the game.
“The penalty for me… I don’t agree, in my opinion because it was just a soft touch. Although Ronaldo was a bit earlier, it wasn’t a touch that could be a penalty. The referee should have at least checked the video assistant referee and made his decision. For me, I think it was too soft.”
The former Sunderland striker didn’t appear to be dissatisfied with his countrymen’s performances, and he didn’t forget to commend their never-say-die mentality against the Portuguese while also highlighting the turning point in the match after Ghana equalized.
In his words, “The change came in too early. Although Dede Ayew got the goal, he was visibly exhausted before then, but after scoring, he and the man of the moment, Kudu were taken off which I disagree with a bit. But at the end of the day, the players stepped up to the plate. I think the second half is the best we have seen in this competition so far.”
The Black Stars, who are currently last in Group H, will play South Korea on Monday in an attempt to pick up their campaign before playing Uruguay on Friday, December 2, in their final group match.
