CRISTIANO RONALDO was left furious after he had an early goal disallowed during Portugal’s World Cup opener against Ghana.
The Portuguese superstar, 37, appeared in his FIFTH World Cup on Thursday evening – joining Lothar Matthaus, Rafael Marquez, Lionel Messi and Andres Guardado as the only outfield players to achieve the feat.
And he thought he had bagged his eighth World Cup goal just after the half-hour mark when he rolled Alexander Djiku inside the penalty area and curled a wicked strike into the far corner.
However, American referee Ismail Elfath had already pulled the game back after deeming Ronaldo to have fouled Djiku.
And replays showed that the former Manchester United striker did give the defender a nudge in the back.
But it was a contentious decision which left Ronaldo furious as he screamed at the referee for blowing up.
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His Portuguese team-mates then proceeded to surround the official, but VAR did not intervene to overrule the onfield decision.
And they could not have given the goal retrospectively anyway because the referee’s whistle had already gone before Ronaldo put the ball in the net.
On commentary, ex-Rangers and Scotland striker Ally McCoist said: “The first thing I’ve got to say is the finish is brilliant.
“But does he lean in to him there? Tell you what, they’re looking for it [Ghana].
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“There’s a slight nudge, there’s no getting away from it, there’s a slight nudge.”
Reacting on social media to Ronaldo’s furious reaction, one person said: “I really feel for Ghana … angry Ronaldo is impossible to contain.”
While another added: “Angry Ronaldo is a scary a Ronaldo. I can see him bagging a hat-trick.”
After first half disappointment, Ronaldo did eventually get his goal in the second period as he tucked away a penalty to give Portugal the lead.
Ronaldo is hoping to help his country progress beyond the last 16 of the World Cup for the first time since 2006.
He comes into the tournament just days after his Manchester United contract was terminated with “immediate effect”.
The Real Madrid legend is now a free agent, with Chelsea, Sporting Lisbon and a move to the MLS all rumoured destinations for Ronaldo in the January transfer window.
