KEIR RADNEDGE in DOHA: Cristiano Ronaldo may be a 37-year-old footballer of no fixed abode but clubland homelessness has done nothing to halt his march on football history.

Two days after seeing his nemesis, Leo Messi, in despair after Argentina’s defeat by Saudi Arabi so CR7 wrote another indelible page in his own legend. A second-half penalty against Ghana in Stadium 974 enthroned Ronaldo as the first player to score at five World Cups.

The only fly in the ointment was then seeing his lesser worthy team-mates concede a silly equaliser before Portugal regained command and, eventually, a 3-2 win.

Portugal have disappointed in tournament play since winning the European title in 2016. They fell in the round of 16 in Russia and then again at Euro 2020 but progressing beyond that stage will demand more than they produced in the goalless first half against Ghana in Group H.

All eyes were on captain Ronaldo but, while Portugal’s pursuit of this World Cup is his sole footballing focus, he appeared initially rusty after spending more time recently sitting opposite Piers Morgan than on a football pitch.

Ronaldo has no club concerns in the back of his mind after the termination of his contract six months ahead of time by Manchester United.

Shop window

The mutually-agreed separation meant, oddly, that Ronaldo was back in the shop window in the World Cup – at least, for any of the handful of clubs with the spare change to afford wages in any way comparable with the weekly £500,000 he was earning in his 15-month cameo return to Old Trafford.

Ronaldo could not be ignored, for a moment. He committed the game’s first (innocuous) foul, suffer goalkeeper Lawrence Ati-Zigi blocking his first shot from a through ball and pushed a header wide despite rising impressively above two Ghanaian defenders.

These moments apart, the first half was drab with Portugal’s neat triangles never fulfilling their promise as Ghana frustrated them with little rhythm-breaking fouls.

Breakthrough

Then, in the 62^nd minute, it all changed for the far, far better.

Ronaldo and defender Mohamed Salisu chased the ball into the Ghana penalty box, bumped together and Ronaldo’s dramatic collapse produced the desired outcome. He duly cracked home the softest penalty this World Cup will see and celebrated goal and history in characteristic style.

Coincidentally Ronaldo also became the second-oldest goalscorer at 37 years 292 days, traiing only Roger Milla who scored for Cameroon against Russia in 1994 at 42 years 39 days.

Ghana, now and just too late, started to play their best football, replacing niggling negativity with some powerfully aggressive counter-attacking.

Defensive muddling presented Andrew Ayew with a 73rd-minute equaliser before Bruno Fernandes set up further Portuguese goals back at the other end for Joao Felix and Rafael Leao.

The excitement was not over yet. Substitute Osman Bukari headed another Ghanaian goal and Inaki Williams almost caught keeper Diogo Costa by surprise in stoppage time. Unhappily for Ghana Williams slipped fatally and Portugal escaped to victory.

Named as official man of the match, of course, was Cristiano Ronaldo.

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