Ghana captain Andre Dede Ayew has urged his teammates and Ghanaians to calm down after losing 3-2 to Portugal in their 2022 World Cup opener on Thursday.
Black Stars began their campaign on a wrong note, losing narrowly to Fernando Santos' side.
After the goalless first half, Cristiano Ronaldo opened the scoring for Portugal via the penalty spot after he fouled in the box by Ghana's defender Mohammed Salisu.
Ghana improved after the goal and scored the equalised through skipper Andre Ayew from close range.
But Portugal responded with two goals in two minutes to seal the points, Joao Felix converting a delightfully clipped finish and substitute Rafael Leao coolly stroking in just seconds after coming on.
Osman Bukari headed in a late consolation for Ghana and there could have been real drama in the ninth minute of stoppage time.
"Our game plan was really working well, we were solid. The penalty looks a little bit harsh. But I have a lot confidence in what I saw today," Ayew told the media after the game.
'’We always come out of difficult situations. We need to stay calm, go home, relax and increase our performance. We need to try and score more and concede less," he added.
The defeat means Black Stars are bottom of Group H after Uruguay and South Korea played out a goalless draw earlier on Thursday.
The Black Stars will now switch their attention to their attention to the match against South Korea on Monday before taking on Uruguay on December 2 at the Education City stadium.