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Cristiano Ronaldo Goal Against Ghana Disallowed By MLS Referee Ismail Elfath

Cristiano Ronaldo saw his 30th-minute goal against Ghana in their World Cup Group F game disallowed by MLS referee Ismail Elfath. Ronaldo was not happy.

Robert Summerscales

Cristiano Ronaldo Goal Against Ghana Disallowed By MLS Referee Ismail Elfath
Cristiano Ronaldo Goal Against Ghana Disallowed By MLS Referee Ismail Elfath /

Portugal legend Cristiano Ronaldo was forced to wait for his record-breaking World Cup goal by MLS referee Ismail Elfath.

Ronaldo came into Qatar 2022 on the verge of history, fully expecting to become the first ever player to score at five different FIFA World Cups.

He briefly thought that his crowning moment had arrived in the 30th minute of Thursday's Group H game against Ghana.

Ronaldo rolled Alexander Djiku before finishing sweetly from a tricky angle.

But Elfath, who has been an MLS official since 2012 and a FIFA-listed referee since 2016, had blown his whistle just as the ball was flying past Ghana keeper Lawrence Ati-Zigi.

Elfath's judgement was that Ronaldo had nudged his body into Djiku's too forcefully and he therefore awarded a free-kick to Ghana.

Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo pictured (left) shooting past Ghana goalkeeper Lawrence Ati-Zigi but his goal was disallowed for an earlier foul
Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo pictured (left) shooting past Ghana goalkeeper Lawrence Ati-Zigi but his goal was disallowed for an earlier foul :: IMAGO/PA Images/Adam Davy

Ronaldo had earlier missed two big opportunities to give Portugal the lead.

A poor touch saw him thwarted by the Ghana keeper after 10 minutes of Thursday's game.

Ronaldo then headed wide at the far post following a good cross from Raphael Guerreiro.

But his record-breaking moment did arrive in the second half when he converted a penalty kick.

Ronaldo's history-making goal arrived in the 65th minute to give Portugal a 1-0 lead and it sparked a flood of late strikes.

Portugal went on to beat Ghana 3-2, after Andre Ayew, Joao Felix, Rafael Leao and Osman Bukari joined Ronaldo on the scoresheet.

READ MORE: Cristiano Ronaldo Made World Cup History Against Ghana But How Well Did He Play?

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Robert Summerscales
ROBERT SUMMERSCALES

Robert Summerscales launched FanNation Futbol in February 2022. Rob is a British journalist who previously spent two years on the sports desk at the Daily Mail in London, having earlier served as editor of CaughtOffside.com. He has been to the last two FIFA Men's World Cups, in Russia and Qatar, and is looking forward to completing his hat-trick in North America in 2026.