Ghana walks from Portugal defeat with some positives and a lesson in bravery

In the end, the deafening cheers from the stands typified the explosive end to the World Cup Group H game between Portugal and Ghana. As victors, the Selecao had their fair share of “Portugal!” Portugal!” and “Ole!” “Ole!” chants, as their fans continuously thumped the Stadium 974 with their feet, literally making the ground bounce.

On the other end was Ghana’s captain Andre Ayew leading his teammates to thank the Ghanaian fans for their support. The response was heartwarming: an even louder applause from the fans, in appreciation of the team’s efforts.

The Black Stars went into Thursday’s World Cup opener as underdogs and didn’t do much to change that tag after succumbing to a 3-2 defeat, with goals from Cristiano Ronaldo, Joao Felix and Rafael Leao ensuring the strikes from Andre Ayew and Osman Bukari only counted as consolation.

Overall, though, Ghana weren’t that bad. It wasn’t a game where either team went all-out attacking, and the nerves in an opening game meant both sides were always going to choose the safer option.

Portugal may have taken all three points but they didn’t really dominate or outplay the Black Stars. And the scoreline was a direct reflection of the game: close, tight and punctuated by a goal rush after cautiousness was taken over by the exploitation of mistakes.

It would be revisionism to suggest Ghana started the game with the wrong game plan. On the contrary, Otto Addo’s 3-5-2 system completely neutralized Portugal’s attack, leaving Ronaldo and Felix frustrated and marginalized for large spells.

Seidu Alidu, picked ahead of Tariq Lamptey and Denis Odoi, played a blinder, with his defensive awareness and timely tackles helping Ghana to keep Portugal at bay.

The centre-back trio of Alexander Djiku, Daniel Amartey and Mohammed Salisu also held their own quite well, while Thomas Partey and Samed Salis protected the backline effectively, although they offered very little going forward.

Ghana’s conservative approach made more sense due to the fact that Portugal aren’t a team comfortable with holding on to the ball. Under Fernando Santos, the Selecao have played their best football as a counter-attacking team, ceding possession to their opponents and hitting them unawares.

If Portugal were facing Spain, Brazil or Argentina, they would’ve set up exactly as Ghana did. For that is when they’re most potent and dangerous. The only problem with Ghana, though, was that they respected Portugal too much and focused more on not conceding rather than scoring. Throughout the first half, the Black Stars were passive, reactive and made little attempt to hurt Portugal.

There’s nothing wrong with sitting back against a side ranked ninth in the world and it makes complete sense not to be baited into going toe-to-toe with a team that boasts the highest scorer in football history and the third most expensive player of all time.

Add that to the creative prowess of Bernardo Silva and Bruno Fernandes and the midfield pair’s knack for goals, and you can understand why Otto Addo opted to be pragmatic.

The problem with playing too deep, though, is that you invite more pressure. Ordinarily, Ghana’s defence, which is probably as good as any in the tournament, would’ve had no problem dealing with Ronaldo and co. – they ably dealt with them for the better part of an hour – but the real question bordered on how sustainable such a tactic was going to be for 90 minutes.

Once Ghana managed to hold Portugal in the first half and built on their own confidence and momentum, the next step should’ve been to maintain the shape and then try to hurt the opponent. A bit more bravery and the result could’ve been different.

That did not happen – at least not until the final 20 minutes – and the Black Stars imploded, losing control and falling apart like a house of cards following a questionable penalty decision that saw Ronaldo open the scoring from the spot.

Andre Ayew’s equaliser was swift and timely, coming just eight minutes after Ronaldo’s opener, but Portugal made sure to put the game beyond reach after quick-fire goals from Felix and Leao made it 3-1.

From there the game was practically lost for Ghana and not even Osman Bukari’s late goal could change matters. The Black Stars were undone by a couple of defensive mistakes and ultimately paid for not being brave enough.

Portugal were there for the taking but they gave them too much respect. Otto Addo’s substitutions may have also left the team exposed, as it altered his side’s compact shape and discipline.

The lack of service to Inaki Williams and the general inability to create chances remains a worry, but Ghana’s performance in the final 20 minutes was very encouraging. The Black Stars lost, but there are some positives to take, including how strongly they ended the game.

When the Black Stars decided to be brave and take the game to Portugal, they caused the Selecao all sorts of problems. They never gave up, even at 3-1 down, and pushed on to reduce the deficit. Hindsight can be tricky and misleading, but maybe things could’ve turned out differently if Ghana played with more courage sooner rather than being reactive after falling behind.

If anything, the Black Stars have shown that they have the potential to hurt any team and their bravery will be tested against South Korea on Monday and Uruguay four days later. How they respond will determine whether they get to stay in Qatar a little more or are sent packing out of the World Cup.