Cristiano Ronaldo is looking forward to Portugal’s World Cup opener against Ghana, which he described as “most difficult” as the former European champions attempt to win the World Cup for the first time.
Despite being the tournament’s lowest-ranked team, the Manchester United star has warned his teammates not to underestimate Ghana.
Ronaldo has previously faced Ghana at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, and it wasn’t an easy battle. The former Real Madrid man scored the game-winning goal after a goalkeeping error by Fatau Dauda.
Both teams arrived in Qatar after impressive victories. Portugal defeated Nigeria in Lisbon despite the absence of captain Cristiano Ronaldo, who was suffering from stomach problems, while Ghana defeated Switzerland in Abu Dhabi despite the absence of Thomas Partey, Mohammed Kudus, and Alexander Djiku. Coach Otto Addo rested three key players, but their absence was not felt as expected.
“I believe our national team has tremendous potential to win the World Cup. We will see. I believe we can. I have that hope, that belief.
“But like these competitions always teach us; we must think calmly. We must think and focus on the first group game. We must think about the Ghana game which is the most difficult one. We must start well, gain some confidence and we will go from there,” he said at a news conference.
The game will take place at Stadium 974 and will begin at 4 p.m. local time.