Portugal vs. Ghana Betting Odds & Recap
Portugal Enter Qatar 2022 as Group H Favorites
âš½Portugal vs Ghana: Game Recapâš½
Results: Portugal 3 – 2 Ghana
Cristiano Ronaldo became the first man to score at five World Cups, as Portugal began their 2022 World Cup with a winning start following a five-goal thriller with a flurry of second-half goals.
The first half saw a dominant Portugal performance, although they appeared slightly toothless in front of the goal. Ronaldo looked emotional during the national anthems before kick-off and had the best chance in the opening 45 minutes. His heavy touch, however, meant the ball evaded him, and he could not poke past the Ghana No 1.
To sum up, the first half was a one-sided affair. Portugal dominated with the ball and had the best chances throughout the half. On the other hand, Ghana had yet to register a single shot or a single touch in Portugal’s box.
However, that all changed in the second half when Salisu upended Ronaldo in the Ghana box after 65 minutes, and the former Manchester United striker stepped up duly to tuck his effort away.
Ghana became the first African nation to score at this World Cup when Andre Ayew got the goal at the 73-minute mark. However, Portugal regained their lead instantly when Felix extended the advantage after a swift counter-attack. Thomas Partey lost possession as Felix pulled away before a composed finish put his nation in front.
Portugal unleashed the shackles and were rewarded when Rafael Leao scored with his first touch, placing a beautifully weighted through ball into the far corner. Ghana caused more nervous moments for Portugal as Bukari’s late header ensured a tense finish.
In the 10th minute of the second-half added time, Portugal goalkeeper Diogo Costa dropped the ball in front of him, oblivious to Williams lurking with deadly intent behind him. Williams darted forward and stole the ball but slipped as he turned to shoot it goalwards, in a severe let-off for Portugal.
The Euro 2016 champions breathed a massive sigh of relief as they held on for three points.
 Portugal | – |  Ghana |
|---|---|---|
| 62% | Possession | 38% |
| 11 | Total Shots | 9 |
| 5 | Shots on Target | 3 |
| 3 | Shots Wide | 5 |
| 3 | Shots Blocked | 1 |
| 1 | Saves | 2 |
| 3 | Corners | 3 |
| 2 | Yellow Cards | 4 |
| 0 | Red Cards | 0 |
| 14 | Fouls | 19 |
| 1 | Offsides | 1 |
| 89% | Pass Accuracy | 81% |
| 1 | Dribbles | 7 |
| 20 | Crosses | 11 |
| 14 | Tackles | 15 |
Did We Get It Right?
Below you will find all the predictions we made before the matchup, on November 18, 2022.
Ronaldo Kicks off Fifth World Cup With Portugal
Only four players have ever been to five World Cups: Lothar Matthaus, Antonio Carbajal, Rafael Marquez and Gianluigi Buffon. Cristiano Ronaldo, along with Lionel Messi, Guillermo Ochoa and Andres Guardado just joined that exclusive club. Ronaldo has been in the headlines recently for harsh criticisms of his club Manchester United. However, his commitment to Portugal has never been questioned. International soccer’s all-time leading goal scorer is expected to start in Portugal’s opener vs. Ghana next Thursday. We’ll review the Portugal vs. Ghana betting odds and preview the match here at pointspreads.com.
Portugal vs. Ghana
Location: Stadium 974, Doha, Qatar
Date & Time:
Streaming: FOX, Peacock, Telemundo
Team Standings and Odds:
| Team | FIFA World Ranking | World Cup Qualifying Record | Odds to Advance | Odds to Win Group | Odds to Win World Cup |
| Portugal | 9 | 7-2-1, 2nd UEFA Group A | -550 | -150 | +1400 |
| Ghana | 61 | 4-3-1, 1st CAF Group G | +300 | +900 | +25000 |
| All Meetings: | Teams |
|---|---|
| Jun. 2014: | Portugal 2-1 Ghana |
Portugal and Ghana have only met once before, at the 2014 FIFA World Cup. Portugal won that Group G match by a 2-1 scoreline as Cristiano Ronaldo scored the winner in the 80th minute. This will be the second time to bet on the Portugal vs. Ghana betting odds in the last three World Cups.
Hard to Know What to Expect From Portugal
- Portugal – Upcoming Matches: Nov. 28 vs. Uruguay, Dec. 2 vs. South Korea
It’s hard to know what to make of Portugal’s form over the last few years. Good results have been frequently interspersed with head-scratching results. A Seleção failed to defeat Serbia in two World Cup qualifying meetings and dropped into the UEFA playoff. There, they defeated Turkey and North Macedonia to seal their place in a sixth straight World Cup. Still, their performance at last year’s Euros was lackluster and they only won one match of four.
Talent has never been a question when it comes to Portugal’s roster. It’s more an issue of coach Fernando Santos getting all of the pieces to fit. With Diogo Jota injured and out of the tournament, Santos may have less of a selection headache. Expect Joao Felix, Cristiano Ronaldo and Bernardo Silva to get plenty of time in attacking areas. Portugal’s defense is also a strong point, with players like Danilo Pereira, Ruben Dias, Nuno Mendes and Joao Cancelo.
There’s not exactly a big weakness in Portugal’s team but the fact that Santos likes to play with two defensive midfielders means limited bodies involved in the attack. Bruno Fernandes will have a lot of responsibility to make things happen in attacking midfield. He did manage a brace in Portugal’s last friendly vs. Nigeria, a 4-0 win. Portugal sit at +1400 odds to win World Cup and are widely expected to qualify from Group H.
Ghana: Big Underdogs in Group H
- Ghana – Upcoming Matches: Nov. 28 vs. South Korea, Dec. 2 vs. Uruguay
The lowest ranked team in the FIFA World Rankings at the World Cup is Ghana, at 61st. The Black Stars’ main problem is depth and an injury to one or two of their stars could prove to be fatal. The good news for Ghana is that their squad has been bolstered by some notable allegiance switches. The English-born right back Tariq Lamptey has decided to represent Ghana, along with Spanish-born forward Inaki Williams.
Ghana’s key players are midfielders Thomas Partey and André Ayew though. Partey has arguably been Arsenal’s most important player in their title chase. The Gunners look like a completely different team when the talented defensive midfielder is off the field. Ayew and his brother Jordan Ayew have a lot of experience and have combined for 42 international goals.
Currently, Ghana sit at +900 odds to win Group H, which means it’ll be an uphill battle. They’ll certainly be sizable underdogs vs. Uruguay as well as Portugal. Ghana’s recent performance at the Africa Cup of Nations was lackluster as they failed to win a single match. They did manage to beat Switzerland 2-0 on Thursday in a warm up friendly, though. An upset wouldn’t be too shocking but it’s hard to believe Ghana can put in consistent performances at Qatar 2022.
Match Analysis and Odds:
Ghana has quite a decent back line; they’ve got Baba Rahman and Brighton’s Tariq Lamptey at fullback. Southampton’s Mohammed Salisu and Leicester City’s Daniel Amartey should be the starters at center back. Still, they’ll have their hands full trying to contain Portugal’s attackers, who will certainly stretch out the pitch.
Portugal enter the match as one-goal favorites and show -150 odds to cover the spread. Ghana are +130 underdogs to cover and have lost by three goals to Algeria, Brazil and Japan this year. Portugal SU shows a -250 price, while the Portugal vs. Ghana betting odds price Ghana at long +825 odds to win. The Black Stars would be thrilled with a draw, which comes in at +350 odds.
Ronaldo should be quite motivated playing in what’s very likely his last World Cup.
Goals are expected to come at a premium, with under 2½ goals showing -125 odds. The over can be taken at +105 odds. It’s not unlike Portugal to trip up in matches like this. They drew vs. Iran in the 2018 World Cup and drew all three of their group stage matches at Euro 2016 before winning the tournament. They’ve only won one group stage match in their last three World Cup appearances. However, Ronaldo should be quite motivated playing in what’s very likely his last World Cup. He’ll fancy his chances to get on the scoresheet vs. Ghana, like he did in 2014.
