Sports
World Cup 2022: Ronaldo Creates History, Scores as Portugal Beat Ghana 3-2
Portugal started their campaign with a dramatic victory over Ghana, and Cristiano Ronaldo became the first player to score at five different Fifa World Cups.
For the first time since his contentious television interview last week and his subsequent release by Manchester United as a result of the statements, Ronaldo was in action.
And the 37-year-old scored the game’s first goal from the penalty spot after Southampton defender Mohammed Salisu of Ghana tripped him in the box.
Early on, Captain Ronaldo had a number of opportunities, but Lawrence Ati-Zigi stopped a low attempt and he also headed wide of the far post.
The forward’s goal was overturned due to a push on Alexander Djiku, as Ghana failed to register a single shot in the opening frame.
The second period saw the Africans advance after Mohammed Kudus narrowly missed the far post, and they were rewarded when Andre Ayew equalized from close range.
Rafael Leao, a replacement, calmly stroked in only seconds after coming on, but Portugal answered with two goals in two minutes to secure the points. Joao Felix converted a brilliantly clipped finish.
Osman Bukhari scored a late consolation goal for Ghana, but Portugal’s win puts them in first place in Group H after Uruguay and South Korea earlier on Thursday played to a scoreless tie.
Cole Palmer has etched his name into Premier League history after becoming the first player to score four goals in the first half of a match.
The Chelsea forward delivered an extraordinary performance against Brighton & Hove Albion at Stamford Bridge on Saturday, with all four goals coming in a dazzling 19-minute burst during the first half.
Palmer struck in the 21st, 28th, 31st, and 41st minutes, with his four goals spanning just 19 minutes and 57 seconds.
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This achievement places him among an elite group of players who have netted four or more goals in a single Premier League match, a rare feat that has only been accomplished 41 times in the competition’s history.
While Palmer’s feat is remarkable, only one player has scored four goals in a match in a shorter time span—former Tottenham Hotspur striker Jermain Defoe, who netted four times in just 17 minutes and 56 seconds during Spurs’ 9-1 demolition of Wigan Athletic in November 2009.
In addition to this new record, Palmer has also been making a name for himself from the penalty spot.
He has converted all 10 of his Premier League penalties, putting him just one goal behind Yaya Toure’s record of 11 penalties scored with a 100% conversion rate.
Maintaining a flawless penalty record is no easy task, as Ivan Toney found out in the 2022/23 season.
The Brentford striker came close to matching Toure’s record, only for his 11th penalty to be saved by Nick Pope.
Ironically, Toney managed to score another penalty later in the same match.
With Palmer’s incredible form and flawless penalty-taking, the young England international is fast becoming one of the Premier League’s rising stars, adding new chapters to both Chelsea’s and the league’s history.
The Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) has imposed a two-match ban on Emiliano Martinez for “offensive behaviour.
The Argentine Football Association (AFA) made the announcement on Saturday.
The 32-year-old goalkeeper, who plays for Aston Villa, was also found guilty of “violating principles of fair play” in two separate incidents.
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The first violation occurred during Argentina’s World Cup qualifier win over Chile on September 5, when Martinez held a replica of the Copa America trophy to his groin.
This was not the first time he had performed such a gesture, having done the same with the Golden Glove trophy after Argentina’s victory over France in the 2022 World Cup final.
In a second incident, FIFA sanctioned Martinez for striking a cameraman’s equipment with his gloves after Argentina’s 2-1 loss to Colombia on September 10.
The AFA voiced its displeasure with FIFA’s ruling, stating, “The Argentine Football Association expresses its absolute disagreement with the decision taken by the FIFA disciplinary committee.”
As a result of the ban, Martinez will miss Argentina’s upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Venezuela on October 10 and Bolivia on October 15.
Argentina currently leads the South American qualifying table with 18 points from eight matches, two points ahead of second-placed Colombia. Martinez’s absence will be keenly felt as the team looks to secure qualification.
Tottenham Hotspur’s Europa League match against Qarabag has been postponed due to severe travel disruptions in London.
The announcement was made on the club’s official X (formerly Twitter) account on Thursday evening.
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According to the statement, further details regarding the rescheduling of the match are expected to follow.
The post reads, “Kick off for tonight’s fixture has been delayed due to severe travel disruption. Further information to follow.
More to follow………
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