Ronaldo signals to Stars, others
Cristiano Ronaldo’s shadow still hangs over Ghana’s World Cup campaign in Brazil after Portugal’s poster boy produced a brilliant performance to rip apart a hapless Cameroun side 5-1 in an international friendly match. That same evening, the Black Stars were handed a real test with a 1-0 loss to Montenegro in a pre-World Cup warm-up match in Podgorica.
For those who fear the world best player could be the deciding factor in Ghana’s final World Cup group clash with Portugal on June 26 in Brasilia, Ronaldo’s inspiring performance and two goals which tamed the Indomitable Lions provided more concerns, particularly as Ghana’s defence looked far from convincing against Montenegro.
The Real Madrid star proved he remained a clear and present danger to Portugal’s Group G rivals, including Germany (who defeated Chile 1-0 in Stuttgart) and Jurgen Klinsmann’s USA side who lost 2-0 to Ukraine in Cyprus.
Last Wednesday’s 1-0 loss provided possible defensive worries for Ghana coach Kwasi Appiah whose side succumbed to a first-minute penalty scored by Dejan Damjanovic and never recovered despite dominating possession.
The Stars, Africa’s best performers at the last two tournaments and the continent’s best hope at Brazil, were caught napping just seconds into the match, as Montenegro midfielder Branko Boskovic fed Filip Kasalica who was tripped by centre-back David Addy for a spot kick.
Appiah left some of his top stars such as skipper Asamoah Gyan, Kwadwo Asamoah, Andre Ayew, Kevin-Prince Boateng and Sulley Muntari on the bench and experimented a starting lineup which included experienced Michael Essien, World Cup hopefuls such as Jordan Ayew, Mubarak Wakaso, Christian Atsu, Abdul Majeed Waris and goalkeeper Adam Kwarasey who put up a generally good performance.
Ghana made a number of scoring attempts but lacked the finishing power to beat the home side, with Essien, Atsu and Waris all missing close chances that fell their way in the fast-paced match.
Substitute Boateng also missed two late chances to draw level for Ghana as Montenegro centre back Stefan Savic cleared his shot off the line before the home goalkeeper parried a stinging long-range effort by the Schalke 04 midfielder.
