Portugal vs Ghana - World Cup 2022: Live score, team news and updates

And there's the final whistle! We can all finally catch our breath.

A dull opening 45 minutes was followed up by an absolute thriller after the break, which could have brought SIX goals had Williams stayed on his feet at the end there.

Portugal took control of proceedings at the perfect time after Ayew's equaliser, scoring two goals in as many minutes to blow their opponents out of the water, yet they still came close to letting Ghana back into the game at the death.

There's work to do for Santos' side if they want to go far in the tournament, while Addo's Black Stars can take plenty of positives from a spirited display.

A long lie-down may now be required after that second half...

HUGE CHANCE FOR GHANA!

There's a mix up at the back for Portugal as Inaki Williams creeps up on goalkeeper Costa from behind after he puts the ball on the deck, but the Ghana striker slips with the goal gaping!

That could have been a sensational, sensational end to the game. Costa will be counting his lucky stars tonight!

Last-chance saloon now for Ghana as they desperately hunt a late equaliser. 

But a long cross into the box is collected comfortably by Costa. There can't be too much longer.

Amartey gives away a foul right next to Ghana's corner flag, before Ati-Zigi pushes away Fernandes' cross. 

Ghana head on an attack and Bukari fires a long-range effort at goal, but despite dipping and leaving Costa briefly concerned his shot hits the roof of the net.

There's also a late booking for Fernandes.

Before that, Daniel-Kofi Kyereh and Antoine Semenyo replaced Abdul Samed and Djiku for Ghana. It's the final roll of the dice for Addo.

Lamptey picks up the ball in an encouraging position over on the right-hand side, only for the Brighton defender to send his cross out of play.

And there will be nine minutes of it! That will feel like a lot longer for Portugal...

Danilo goes into the book as we head into stoppage time.

This crazy game takes another twist as substitute Bukari heads home to pull one back for Ghana. Is there time for the Black Stars to launch a late comeback?

Bukari was simply left free in the box there. Santos won't be happy with his side's defending.

There's a triple change for Portugal as goalscorers Ronaldo and Felix, as well as Silva, make way for Goncalo Ramos, Joao Mario and Joao Palhinha.

As Ally McCoist perfectly sums up on commentary, that flurry has knocked the stuffing out of Ghana.

It looked so bright for them when Ayew bundled home the equaliser, but that goal only seemed to wake Portugal up here. They've been electric in the last 15 minutes.

Ronaldo is released in the box but sees his effort saved, before the offside flag comes anyhow.

And breathe...

What a turnaround for Portugal as Leao nets their second goal in the space of a few minutes!

Fernandes slips through the substitute, who opens his body and tucks the ball into the bottom-right corner a few moments after coming off the bench.

That's now four goals in the last 15 minutes and two in about 120 seconds for Portugal. They've really gone up a gear here to leave Ghana reeling.

Portugal restore their lead through Joao Felix!

The Atletico forward races through on goal and coolly converts past Ati-Zigi with a neat finish from close range.

A crazy 13 minutes in Doha.

After teeing up Ayew for the leveller, Kudus is replaced by Osman Bukari. Goalscorer Ayew is also replaced by brother Jordan, while Portugal take Neves off for Rafael Leao.

Earlier in the game, moments after Ronaldo's opening penalty, Tariq Lamptey also replaced Seidu for Ghana.

GHANA ARE LEVEL!

The Black Stars play a simple ball into the box and Kudus pulls it back across goal from the byline, but the Portugal defence fail to clear and Ayew scrambles it over the line.

We waited over an hour for a goal and now we've had two in the space of eight minutes! Unbelievable stuff.

Ronaldo has proven himself the man for the big occasion once again tonight. 

He's now scored at FIVE World Cups. An incredible statistic.

Up steps Cristiano Ronaldo... and he smashes the ball into the mid-left corner!

He was the name on everyone's lips before the game and Ronaldo has made no mistake in ensuring that remains the case.

It was a brilliant penalty and Portugal finally have the goal they were seeking. 

And who else was going to get it?

The ball breaks to Ronaldo in the box and Salisu brings him down - before the referee points to the spot!

From the initial replay, it looked like Salisu may just have got a touch on the ball. But it doesn't appear that we're going to have a VAR check.

Immediately after, Seidu picks up a booking for a mistimed challenge.

The referee's now giving him a stern talking to after a brief altercation with Felix. Replays seem to show that he threw a very slight head at the Portugal star!

After that chance, Portugal made their first change of the evening with William Carvalho replacing Otavio.

Ronaldo is played through in the box by Otavio and after attempting a few step overs fails to get the ball out of his feet, before Ghana win back possession and hit on the break through Kudus.

Kudus then pulls a superb shot just past the post! It was the Black Stars' closest effort yet.

It's been an encouraging start to the half for Ghana, who send in their second corner of the game.

But in the end a Seidu shot from the edge of the area drags wide and goes out for a goal kick.

Brilliant play down the right-hand side from Seidu, who drops a shoulder and beats Guerreiro before looping a ball into the box, which fails to find any of his Ghana team-mates.

Andre Ayew goes into the book for a late tackle on Otavio.

Otavio runs down the left and advances towards the box before a challenge from Seidu knocks the ball out of play - but Portugal can't believe it as the referee points for a goal kick.

Replays show they may well have had a point, too...

The second half resumes in Doha. Can Portugal or Ghana make the all-important breakthrough? 

Portugal could have gone in at the break with a healthy lead in the bag had Ronaldo capitalised on two decent openings early on.

The veteran captain also saw a goal disallowed, yet when watching it back he can't have too many complaints.

There's the half-time whistle, and Ghana will certainly be the happier of the two teams at the interval.

Portugal have looked lethargic at times and are lacking speed, precision and quality in the final third. 

It's been pretty easy for Ghana to defend against so far. Santos needs to get Portugal fired up during the break.

The first booking of the game goes to Kudus, who picks up a deserved yellow for a high challenge on Cancelo.

After exchanging passes with Silva, Cancelo puts a ball across the box which comes to nothing.

Portugal work the ball back to Cancelo on the right flank and he releases Otavio, whose own cross goes out for a goal kick.

Story of the half for Santos' men.

The curse of the commentator almost strikes as Portugal come the closest they have done for a long while!

After Ronaldo initially failed to make the most of a long pass from Felix, Fernandes sends another ball into the box and it drops to his old United team-mate, who struggles to get it out of his feet before Ghana clear.

Silva produces another tame Portugal cross which is cleared far too easily by Ghana once again.

Fernando Santos can't be happy with this first-half showing. Ghana are finishing it the stronger of the two sides after weathering an early storm.

Ghana win their first corner of the day and after Portugal clear, Kudus sends the ball back in for Fernandes to put behind for another one.

Ronaldo heads the resulting set-piece away but the referee blows for a foul anyway.

Shots

Portugal 6

Ghana 0

Shots on target

Portugal 2

Ghana 0

Possession

Portugal 69%

Ghana 31%

It's just not Cristiano Ronaldo's night so far.

Felix lobs the ball into Ghana's box and the Portugal captain challenges Djiku, breaks in the box and rifles the ball home, only for the referee to blow for a foul.

Portugal pile forward and look close to carving out their best chance for a while, before Raphael Guerreiro's weak cross is cleared comfortably by Ghana.

After retrieving possession they embark on another attack and Bernardo Silva picks out Felix just inside the box, but the Atletico Madrid star sends his effort straight over the bar.

Simply no end product for Portugal so far.

Joao Felix tries to whip a ball into the box and instead sends it flying out of play.

His failed cross sums up Portugal's lack of quality early on here. They're not short of possession, but so far they're doing very little with it.

It's fair to say not a great deal has happened in this game since Ronaldo came close with a header at the back post.

Portugal are enjoying the lion's share of possession, but Ghana look fairly tight defensively and are slowly growing in confidence.

It's been a lively start to the game for Ronaldo, who let two glorious opportunities pass him by early on here.

After some neat interplay between Bruno Fernandes and Joao Felix, Ghana clear behind for a Portugal corner.

Portugal take it quickly and pick out Ronaldo at the back post, who turns his head at the last minute and squanders another great opportunity.

He could have had two already here!

Big chance for Ronaldo!

Kudus loses the ball cheaply again deep in Ghana's half, before the Portugal captain is released through on goal.

But after a heavy touch, the ball runs away from him and Lawrence Ati-Zigi gets down to make an important interception, meaning the chance goes begging.

Ghana embark on their first sprint into the final third, before Kudus' cross flies straight into the hands of Diogo Costa.

Ruben Neves dispossesses Mohammed Kudus on the edge of the box and tries to unleash a shot at goal, only for Ghana's defenders to pull their team-mate out of trouble and make the block.

As expected, Portugal are dominating the ball early on here. That could be a familiar theme this evening.

Instead of the 3-4-3 we thought it would be earlier, Ghana appear to have lined up with two strikers here in Doha. Andre Ayew and Inaki Williams are leading the line.

Otto Addo has packed his backline with five defenders, however, meaning this could be a tricky night for Portugal to carve out chances.

Ronaldo's first touch of the ball draws a huge cheer from the crowd, but the former Man United star's first involvement sees him concede a free-kick.

The referee blows his whistle and Portugal vs Ghana is underway!

The Portugal national anthem is underway and Ronaldo is fighting back the tears! 

It's clearly an emotional moment for the 37-year-old.

Here's your 10-minute warning! It's almost time for Portugal vs Ghana. 

Both teams have carried out their pre-match warm-ups and kick-off is on the horizon.

Not long now!

Graeme Souness certainly believes Portugal have the quality to go far in the tournament, waxing lyrical about the talent at Fernando Santos' disposal while on ITV duty.

'Portugal have always produced good footballers,' Souness said. 'But it would seem in the last decade or so they have produced a hell of a lot of good footballers. That is a particularly strong squad.

'Given it is a population of 10 million people they have really overperformed. It is strange the manager chooses to play in the way that he does, but you can’t criticise him because they have been successful. It is a pragmatic approach with flair players.'

So far today we've only been treated to one goal in 180 minutes of World Cup football.

Breel Embolo's winner for Switzerland against Cameroon is the only strike of Thursday's action. No pressure Portugal and Ghana...

We saw 11 goals fly in over the course of Wednesday's games, so let's hope for an end-to-end affair here!

Here is the man himself!

Ronaldo is out on the pitch preparing for Portugal's World Cup opener here in Doha.

Former Man United midfielder Roy Keane is in the ITV studio today, and he's hoping to see Ronaldo fire back at his critics after the fall-out at Old Trafford.

'I am looking forward to seeing him play,' Keane said. 'It will settle down now. He has done his talking with a couple of interviews. He has to do his talking on the pitch.

'I hope he performs on the pitch and I believe he will. He can shut a few idiots up who have been criticising him. I am lucky to have played with him and am glad to be watching him tonight.'

The first set of fans have entered Stadium 974 with not long to go before their beloved countries battle it out!

There's over 45 minutes until kick-off...

Here's a sneak peek inside the Ghana team bus, where Otto Addo's men chilling out before the big game by belting out a few more songs.

Portugal are in the house!

Bruno Fernandes, Joao Felix, Joao Cancelo and Bernardo Silva can be seen rocking up at Stadium 974 as they gear up for today's showdown with Ghana.

And this is how Ghana will be lining up at Stadium 974 today. 

There is no Tariq Lamptey or Jordan Ayew, who both drop to the bench, with Alidu Seidu preferred at right wing-back in what appears to be a 3-5-2 setup.

Ghana line-up (3-4-3): Ati-Zigi; Djiku, Amartey, Salisu; Seidu, Abdul Samed, Partey, Rahman; Kudus, Williams, A. Ayew (C)

Here's the starting XI for Portugal this afternoon, with Ronaldo captaining his country once more out in Doha.

Portugal line-up (4-3-3): Costa; Cancelo, Dias, Pereira, Guerreiro; Neves, Otavio, Fernandes; Felix, Silva, Ronaldo (C)

Of course, Ronaldo heads into the winter World Cup in somewhat of a unique position as the highest-profile free agent at the tournament.

That is because the five-time Ballon d'Or winner left Manchester United by mutual consent with immediate effect on Tuesday following his explosive tell-all interview with Piers Morgan.

In case you missed it - which would probably mean you've been living under a rock this week - you can read more on Ronaldo's bitter United exit from Sportsmail below:

By his own admission, this year's tournament in Qatar will likely represent Cristiano Ronaldo's last chance to win the World Cup.

The 37-year-old has already cemented his legacy as an all-time great by scoring 818 goals in 1,140 games while winning five Champions Leagues, seven top-tier titles across England, Italy and Spain, and the European Championship for his country.

He has also collected five Ballon d'Or awards, with only arch-rival Lionel Messi picking up more (7).

The only honour missing from Ronaldo's legendary CV is the World Cup, which has so far eluded him in four attempts.

RONALDO'S WORLD CUP RECORD

Ronaldo has scored seven goals in FIFA's leading international competition, the first of which came in a 2-0 win over Iran at the 2006 tournament.

He also scored goals against North Korea and Ghana at the 2010 and 2014 World Cups respectively, however it was back in 2018 when Ronaldo shone brightest.

Out in Russia, he fired home a sensational hat-trick in a pulsating 3-3 draw with Spain, before getting on the scoresheet again in a 1-0 win over Morocco.

Nevertheless, Ronaldo has only made it as far as the semi-finals with Portugal at the World Cup, where they were beaten by France in 2006.

He will be hoping to add to his tally and lift the trophy for the very first time next month, which would be the cherry on top of a historic cake.

They may not be singing and dancing, but Portugal stars look equally relaxed ahead of their opening World Cup match later this afternoon.

Now here's the view from inside the dressing rooms, where both sets of kits are already in place just under two hours before kick-off.

Here's a first glimpse inside Stadium 974 ahead of tonight's game.

Kick-off is just over two hours away...

At the end of their final training session last night Ghana players could be seen singing, dancing and playing the drums ahead of today's crunch clash with Portugal.

They don't look like a squad that's feeling the pressure!

Sportsmail has put together a World Cup predictor for fans to work out who they believe will prevail in the final on December 18.

To have a go at it yourself, click on the link below...

Unlike their opponents, Ghana enjoyed a more straightforward group stage in CAF qualifying, claiming four wins out of six to top their group and advance to the all-important third round.

It was there where they got the better of Nigeria over two legs to book their place in Qatar, coming out on top via the away-goal rule after following up a 0-0 stalemate on their own turf with a 1-1 draw away from home.

GHANA'S ROAD TO QATAR

3 September 2021: Ghana 1-0 Ethiopia (Qualifying group stage)

6 September 2021: South Africa 1-0 Ghana (Qualifying group stage)

9 October 2021: Ghana 3-1 Zimbabwe (Qualifying group stage)

12 October 2021: Zimbabwe 0-1 Ghana (Qualifying group stage)

11 November 2021: Ethiopia 1-1 Ghana (Qualifying group stage)

14 November 2021: Ghana 1-0 South Africa (Qualifying group stage)

25 March 2022: Ghana 0-0 Nigeria (Qualifying third-round first leg)

29 March 2022: Nigeria 1-1 Ghana (Qualifying third-round second leg)

Portugal had to secure their place at the 2022 World Cup the hard way after finishing second in their qualifying group, with an agonising final defeat at home to Serbia forcing them to enter the play-offs.

In the end they still managed to navigate their way past Turkey and North Macedonia, meaning Santos' men were drawn in Group H alongside Uruguay, South Korea and today's opponents Ghana.

PORTUGAL'S ROAD TO QATAR

24 March 2021: Portugal 1-0 Azerbaijan (Qualifying group stage)

27 March 2021: Serbia 2-2 Portugal (Qualifying group stage)

30 March 2021: Luxembourg 1-3 Portugal (Qualifying group stage)

1 September 2021: Portugal 2-1 Republic of Ireland (Qualifying group stage)

7 September 2021: Azerbaijan 0-3 Portugal (Qualifying group stage)

12 October 2021: Portugal 5-0 Luxembourg (Qualifying group stage)

11 November 2021: Republic of Ireland 0-0 Portugal (Qualifying group stage)

14 November 2021: Portugal 1-2 Serbia (Qualifying group stage)

24 March 2022: Portugal 3-1 Turkey (Qualifying play-off semi-final)

29 March 2022: Portugal 2-0 North Macedonia (Qualifying play-off final)

Portugal went through the gears in their last training session before today's game at their Al Shahaniya training complex on Wednesday, with the likes of Bruno Fernandes, Joao Felix and Ruben Neves seen putting in their final preparations.

Portugal vs Ghana will be aired live on ITV for UK viewers. If you are looking to stream the game, you need to head to the ITV Hub. 

UK viewers can also catch the game on STV - which is a Scottish free-to-air television channel owned by STV Group. STV Player will also stream the game for those on the go. 

Meanwhile, the following stations will be airing the game for American viewers: FOX, Telemundo, fuboTV, Peacock Premium, DirecTV Stream, Vidgo and Sling Blue. 

Australian viewers can tune into the game via SBS, who will be televising every match during the 2022 World Cup. SBS On Demand will also stream the Portugal vs Ghana fixture for those on the move. 

If you're unable to watch the game live, you can relive the action via the FIFA YouTube Channel (Worldwide). The official YouTube channel will be posting highlight reels after each game. 

KICK-OFF TIMES

4pm (UK), 11am (US), 3am on Friday (Australian Eastern Time)

Former European champions Portugal boast a squad containing some of the biggest stars in world football, but what about Ghana?

The Black Stars have five Premier League players in their ranks, including Arsenal's Partey and Palace's Ayew.

Leicester defender Daniel Amartey, Brighton right-back Tariq Lamptey and Southampton centre-back Mohammed Salisu were also included in Otto Addo's 26-man squad.

Other Ghana players of note at the World Cup include former West Ham and Swansea star Andre Ayew, who captains the side, Chelsea loanee Baba Rahman, Ajax midfielder Mohammed Kudus and Athletic Bilbao striker Inaki Williams.

Today's match is set to take place at Stadium 974, which is located 6 miles outside of Doha city centre. 

In a first for the World Cup, this stadium has been made from 974 shipping containers and other materials that can easily be dismantled after the tournament finishes.

It overlooks the Doha Corniche and the skyline of the West Bay - a waterfront promenade that looks spectacular at night - and will stage games up to the last 16. 

The aim is to use as few materials as possible and thereby reduce waste and emissions.

Portugal and Ghana have only played each other once before, and that also came at a World Cup. 

It was Portugal who emerged victorious on the day, claiming a 2-1 win over Ghana at the 2014 tournament.

The score was locked at 1-1 with just 10 minutes to play, before a certain Cristiano Ronaldo turned home the winner late on.

Could history repeat itself today?

Ronaldo took to Twitter on Wednesday night to rally the troops ahead of Portugal's opening match, urging his team-mates to bring the country 'pride and joy'.

Ronaldo initially appeared a doubt after sitting out Portugal's warm-up friendly with Nigeria last Thursday through illness, but he has since declared himself fit for their opener after returning to training.

Santos therefore has no injury concerns heading into the game, meaning Bernardo Silva and one of Joao Felix or Rafael Leao are likely to start alongside Ronaldo in attack.

Ghana, too, do not appear to have any injury concerns heading into this afternoon's encounter, with Crystal Palace's Jordan Ayew and Arsenal's Partey expected to start.

PREDICTED LINE-UPS

Portugal (4-3-3): Costa; Cancelo, Dias, Pepe, Mendes; Fernandes, Carvalho, Neves; Silva, Ronaldo, Leao

Ghana (4-2-3-1): Ati-Zigi; Lamptey, Amartey, Salisu, Mensah; Partey, Samed; Sulemana, Williams, A.Ayew; J.Ayew

Welcome to Sportsmail's live coverage of this afternoon's World Cup showdown between Portugal and Ghana, who go head to head in their opening Group H fixture at Stadium 974.

While there will be plenty of high-profile stars in action, Cristiano Ronaldo is almost certain to dominate the headlines before, during and after today's match having left Manchester United by mutual consent this week.

Ronaldo is expected to line up for the first time since his acrimonious split with United as the Portugal captain looks to put that saga behind him and get their World Cup campaign off to a flyer.

Fernando Santos' men will have their work cut out against Ghana, nevertheless, who have a number of familiar Premier League faces in their ranks - including Arsenal midfielder Thomas Partey.

It should make for a fascinating 90 minutes (plus a potentially excessive amount of stoppage time) with kick-off to come at 4pm... and you can keep up with all the updates throughout the afternoon here.