Lawrence Ati-Zigi of St. Gallen, who the  goalkeeper for the Black Stars in their 2022 World Cup opening against Portugal, was crucial to their success.

The shot stopper made his debut for Ghana at the international competition on Thursday, when the Black Stars fell to the European nation 3-2 at the 974 Stadium.

With his second-half penalty giving Portugal the lead, Cristiano Ronaldo made history by becoming the first player to ever score five goals at a World Cup.

Andre Ayew of Ghana then tied the score, but Portugal won and topped Group H despite Osman Bukari's late winner with to two goals in three minutes from Joao Felix and Rafael Leao.

Even though the Black Stars were defeated, Ati-Zigi made two powerful interventions against Ronaldo.

The Portugal star came from the depths, put the ball a little too far and Zigi intervened to prevent Ghana from a heavy defeat.

With seven minutes remaining, Zigi took center stage again as he emerged victorious in a one-on-one with Ronaldo. However, the Portuguese had started offside.

The 2016 European Champions currently sit top of Group H with three points.

Meanwhile, the defeat means Ghana are bottom of Group H after Uruguay and South Korea played out a goalless draw earlier on Thursday.

The Black Stars will now turn their attention to their upcoming matches against South Korea and Uruguay on November 28 and December 2, respectively.