'Cheating Ronaldo is bad example to kids after WC penalty'

Portugal star Cristiano Ronaldo has been accused of cheating and labelled a "terrible example" after his controversial penalty against Ghana in the World Cup on Thursday.

Ronaldo opened the scoring in Portugal's 3-2 victory over Ghana through a dubious penalty decision that has come under the spotlight following the conclusion of the match.

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The 37-year-old was adjudged to have been brought down in the box by Southampton defender Mohammed Salisu, who was seen arguing with the referee regarding the amount of contact he had made with the five-time Ballon d'Or winner.

Ronaldo calmly slotted the ball past goalkeeper Lawrence Ati-Zigi, in so doing becoming the first men's footballer to score in five World Cups, having registered his first tournament goal in Germany in 2006.

The penalty decision infuriated many Ghanaian fans as well as former Chelsea star Christ Sutton, who has since slammed the veteran marksman for going down in the box the way he did.

Speaking to the Daily Mail, Sutton said: "Look, it is not the first time, is it? I have to say the VAR officials are absolute bottle-jobs.

"It isn't good play by Ronaldo. It is a terrible example to young kids everywhere around the world. Everyone will be tumbling over.

"He is a great player. But it was cheating.

"I thought the officials had to be stronger. It was embarrassing really how they missed it.

"I was at the Brazil game and I saw the footage. Blimey; you don't have to watch it many times to see that he went over. Totally manufactured. Out of order. The VAR officials shouldn't miss that.

"I was reading comments saying it was a penalty. It is ridiculous and cheating.

"I know he has his fans within the media and around the world but come on. That was awful."

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Premier League video assistant referee Mike Dean also weighed in on the matter.

"It's not the referee's fault – he's given the decision on the field of play. The VAR, in my opinion, should have got involved and invited the referee over to have a look at it.

"It should have been overturned. He should have gone to the screen, he should have looked at it.

"There may have been some technical glitch that we don't know about.

"I just can't understand why he wasn't sent to the screen. 100%, it's wrong."

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WATCH: RONALDO BREAKS WORLD CUP SCORING RECORD