Fans heading to the Portugal-Ghana game would have been expecting a starring performance from Cristiano Ronaldo.
And he duly delivered at Stadium 974, which saw Portugal supporters leave smiling and Ghana fans left with a sense of what might have been.
Spectators witnessed history as the 37-year-old Ronaldo became the first man to score at five different Fifa World Cups as a 3-2 victory over Ghana gave the 2016 European champions the perfect start to this tournament.
The goal and result will be a welcome distraction from the off-field issues that has clouded Ronaldo’s build-up to the tournament.
He was scathing of Manchester United and manager Erik ten Hag in an interview with TalkTV last week and subsequently left the club by ‘mutual agreement’.
“It was a week that finishes the chapter, it’s closed. We won and I could help the team – the rest does not matter,” Ronaldo said after the game.
“This was a beautiful moment, my fifth World Cup,
“We won, we started with on our good foot and it is a very important win. The first match is crucial in these tournaments.
“The first player to score goals at five World Cups, this makes me very proud.”
