Asamoah Gyan, a Ghanaian professional footballer has slammed referee Ismael Elfath for his decision to award a dubious penalty to Portugal.
The American referee awarded a penalty to Portugal after Mohammed Salisu challenged Ronaldo for a 50-50 ball in the 18-yard box of Ghana. Ronaldo beautifully converted the spot kick to break the deadlock as the Portuguese went ahead to record a 3-2 win over Ghana.
Speaking after the game, Gyan, who has played in three different World Cups, criticized the referee’s decision. “The penalty decision was poor and soft,” Gyan said.
“I am a striker but what we saw was soft and should not be a penalty,” he added. The victory for Portugal means that they are currently top of Group H.
South Korea and Uruguay drew goalless earlier on Thursday afternoon in their opening game. Ghana will hope to secure their first win when they come up against South Korea on Monday at the Education City Stadium with kick-off scheduled at 13:00 GMT.
