2014 FIFA World Cup: Portugal vs Ghana - As it happened...

Zee Media Bureau/Dattaraj Thaly

==================================================================================== MATCH REPORT» OUR FULL COVERAGE ON WORLD CUP 2014» Portugal`s Team Profile» Portugal`s squad» Ghana`s Team Profile» Ghana`s squad» Full list of Group Standings» Fixtures & Results» ==================================================================================== Both Portugal and Ghana are knocked out. USA and Germany go through to the Round of 16. FULL TIME: Portugal 2-1 Ghana 90+2'- Ronaldo misses from Nani's cross. He did well to direct the ball, mid-air with his right foot. Should have hit the target there. His finishing has been poor. 90'- 4 MINUTES OF ADDED ON TIME! 87'- Portugal have not been able to deliver accurate passes in the final third. That's been their undoing today. 85' - 5 minutes to go. Portugal are headed out. 83'- Varela fires in a shot from inside the box. Keeper saves it easily. 81'- It's all Portugal now. Wave after wave of Portuguese attack. Nani's cross from the left fell to Ronaldo after the keeper failed to collect it cleanly. CR7 smashed it into the bottom left corner with his left foot. 80' - GOAL! RONALDO 78'- Gyan cannot reach the cross that was fired in the from the right. He tried his best but it was too far in the end. 75'- Cross comes in from the right and Gyan's diving header to meet the ball sails into the crowd. 72'- Ronaldo was racing through the middle and into the box. He was closely marked by the Ghana defender. There is a coming together of both players and Ronaldo goes down holding is knee. 70'- We have hit the 70 minute mark. As things stand, Germany and USA are through from this group. Portugal and Ghana need to score a few goals to go through. 68' - That goal by Gyan took him past Roger Milla for most WC goals by an African player. This was his 6th goal in World Cup finals. 65'- Ghana are looking stronger as the game is nearing the end. Portugal look deflated. 63'- Ghana seem to have found much needed confidence after that goal. They are launching attack after attack on the Portugal goal. 60'- BIG MISS BY WARIS. He missed from very close with his header. The all came in from the left and Waris could not even hit the mark with an open header. What a miss. Gyan headed the ball in the net from a cross that was set up on a plat from him. The ball was fired in from the left and Gyan's bullet header did not miss the mark. Unlike Ronaldo who missed from a similar position in the first half, Gyan did not. 56'- GOAL! GYAN 54'- Muller has scored for Germany in the other match. 52'- Veloso with a long toward the far post from the left. Ronaldo towered above to head it. The keeper rose well to collect it before Ronaldo could head it. 50'- Gyan cuts in from the left and fires a shot to the near post with his right foot. Beto had it covered. The ball goes wide of the post. 48'- Nani's effort from outside the box is blocked by Boye with a sliding tackle. 46'- Here we go... Just to recap this group - 1-0 win is not good enough for Portugal to go through as USA have managed to hold Germany to 0-0. Ronaldo has looked sharp but his drought at this World Cup continues. Join us for the second half. HALF TIME: Portugal 1-0 Ghana 45'- 1 MINUTE ADDED ON! 44'- Nani dinks to the right and creates a bit of space for himself to shot. His powerful shot misses the mark. 42'- Atsu skips past Joao Pereira and fires in a shot that goes wide of the post. 40'- Portugal have been solid at the back. No way through for Ghana so far. Gyan's header was the closest they came to scoring. Noting after that. Yellow Card to Harrison Afful. 37'- It is still goalless in the other match between USA and Germany. Portugal are going out despite their winning here. If things stay the same. 34' -AMORIM! That was close. He fired in low drive to the near post as Nani cut back the ball to him from the left. Inches off the upright. 31'- GOAL! BOYE WITH A OWN GOAL! The cross came in the from the left. Boye tried to clear it on the first bounce and completely missed to connect properly with it. The ball went into this own goal after his mistimed clearance. Unlucky. 29'- Both teams trying set up moves but the ball is being cut out in the middle of the park. 27'- Ronaldo was sprinting ahead with the ball. He had two Ghana players for company. He smartly plays the ball out wide for Veloso who goes to the touchline and fizzes in a cross. Keeper collects. 25'- Ronaldo was running at the Ghana defense. He was fouled before he could get into the box. 23'- Beto makes a sensational save as he stops a header Asamoah Gyan from close range. The cross for that header was perfect. 18'- RONALDO! SAVED! What a chance that was for Portugal. The cross came in and Ronaldo was unmarked and had to execute an open header. He directed the ball straight at the keeper. 15' - Both the games have not produced any goals so far. That means Germany and USA are going through. Still plenty of time. 13'- Nani floats in a dangerous ball into the box off a corner. The ball does not manage to cause problems for the Ghana defense. 13'- Cristiano Ronaldo's free-kick is saved by Abdul Fatawu Dauda. Ronaldo is looking sharp today unlike the first two matches. 10'- Harrison Afful executes a lovely ball from the edge of the box. Portugal's defense is alert to the danger and clears it. 9'- Joao Moutinho with a clumsy tackle. Nawaf Shukralla blows the whistle for a foul. 6'- Portugal have started well here. They mean business, attacking at every opportunity. 4'- Ronaldo's cross hits the cross bar. 1'-Here we go.. Time for the national anthems for both countries. The players have lined-up in the tunnel. They will come out soon. Portugal going out will be a huge upset and the fall of yet another big team this World Cup. Team line-ups for the match: Portugal: Beto, Bruno Alves, Pepe, Miguel Veloso, William Carvalho, Ronaldo, Moutinho, Eder, Nani, Amorim, Pereira Ghana: Dauda, Gyan, Atsu, Agyemang Badu, A. Ayew, Rabiu, Waris, Mensah, Asamoah, Boye, Afful Welcome to our live coverage of the Group G game between Portugal and Ghana. The Group G will reach it`s logical conclusion today. Portugal who were favourites to go through are struggling in this Group. Ronaldo has been poor for them so far and apart from a bassist in the dying minutes against the USA, he has had no impact. Without him firing, Portugal don`t look half dangerous. Ghana have self destructed before this crucial fixture. Kevin Prince Boateng and Muntari have been asked to leave the squad midway for indiscipline. That leaves the Africans without two key players. Portugal have 1 point and a goal difference of -4. Ghana have 1 point with a goal difference of -1. For Portugal to qualify, they will have to beat Ghana by a handsome margin and hope Germany beat USA convincingly. Irrespective of the outcome, this group has definitely lived up to it`s billing. Mathematically, as things stand, all four teams can go though.