Portugal striker Rafael Leao has leaped to the defence of his teammate Diogo Costa following his display against Ghana in their 2022 World Cup opener on Thursday.
In the 99th minute of the game, Ghana striker Inaki Williams snuck up behind the Portugal goalkeeper and managed to dispossess the Porto star after hiding in the goal following a poor cross.
Luckily for the 23-year-old, after Williams had knocked the ball away from him, he slipped over and was unable to get a shot away. Manchester City defender Ruben Dias then arrived on the scene to tidy things up before another Ghana forward pounced.
"I saw the bid, I wasn't expecting it, but we all have full confidence in Diogo. He is a great goalkeeper, who has defended dangerous shots in our goal many times. We are always with him," Leao said after the game.
Rafael Leao coolly stroke in just seconds after coming on to help Portugal see out a 3-2 win.
"I was focused, I knew what I had to do, the important thing was to do my best, because the game was a bit broken. I went in and I was happy," he added.
"It is always up to the mister. If I'm in the starting line-up, I'm prepared to help my team. But even entering from the bank, I will do the same. The important thing is that he can help the team."
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.