Cristiano Ronaldo scored his 50th international goal for Portugal as they beat Ghana 2-1 at the Estadio Nacional but it wasn't enough to prevent his side exiting the World Cup.
Despite being visibly less than fully fit the Real Madrid star always threatened to settle this match, hitting the bar with one early shot and heading straight at keeper Fatau Dauda early on.
But Portugal never looked like winning by a big enough margin to overturn the goal deficit and catch the USA in Group G despite going ahead after a John Boye own goal.
Ghana created plenty of chances of their own, Asamoah Gyan becoming Africa's record goalscorer at the World Cup with his second-half header before Ronaldo took advantage of a horrible flap from Dauda to drill home from 12 yards.
After a slow start the game exploded into life when Ronaldo looked up and spotted Dauda slightly off his line and sent a whipped ball against the bar from wide on the right.
Ronaldo was then given the chance to unleash one of his trademark free-kicks from a central position after Joao Moutinho was felled 25 yards out by Emmanuel Agyemang-Badu.
However, Dauda's positioning was good and he fisted the strike away for a corner.
On 18 minutes it was Ronaldo again, Joao Pereira bursting forward on the right and sending a delightful ball arcing over to the back post where the striker lurked unmarked but his header from six yards was straight at Dauda who pulled off a fantastic save.
Ghana burst straight up the other end where Gyan found himself one-on-one with Beto but got the ball stuck beneath his feet and the keeper was able to save with his legs.
And Gyan then rose at the far post to head a free-kick from the right goalwards but he was unable to make a clean connection under pressure from William Carvalho and the ball bobbled into Beto's hands.
But then on 30 minutes Portugal took the lead, Moutinho juggling the ball on the edge of the area and sending it out to Miguel Veloso on the left.
His low cross into the box was horribly sliced into his own net by Boye giving Dauda no chance.
And it could have been worse for Ghana just a minute later when Ronaldo dropped a shoulder and unleashed a shot from the edge of the area but it was too close to Dauda.
A pass from Nani then found Ruben Amorim unmarked in the box but he screwed his shot wide of the near post.
The goal looked to have shaken Ghana's confidence but they created some space for Andre Ayew whose inch-perfect ball was headed wide of the goal by Gyan who should perhaps have done better.
Then Christian Atsu beat his man on the corner of the box and tried to bend the ball into the corner of the net but watched in agony as it curled wide.
Much like the first half the second started slowly until five minutes in when Gyan cut in on his right foot and fizzed a low shot narrowly past the post.
Then out of nothing Ghana equalised, breaking from deep with Kwadwo Asamoah sending a teasing ball into the area with the outside of his boot for Gyan to head past the helpless Beto to make it 1-1 on 57 minutes.
And Ghana had a fantastic chance to go ahead, Gyan sending a lovely cross into the unmarked Majeed Waris who headed wide with the goal at his mercy.
Ghana, who didn't seem affected by the expulsion of Sulley Muntari and Kevin Prince-Boateng from the squad of the eve of the game, looked like they were beginning to dominate but a moment of madness from keeper Dauda proved their undoing.
A cross from Nani was headed straight up in the air by John Mensah with Dauda sending a weak punch straight to Ronaldo's feet with the striker doing the rest.
Ronaldo could have had more missing a hat-trick of chances late on, twice shooting straight at Dauda when clean through and touching a Nani cross inches over the bar.
But the margin of defeat to Germany proved their undoing, with both sides exiting the competition.
Portugal 2
Boye (og) 30, Ronaldo 79
Ghana 1
Gyan 57
Referee: Nawaf Shukralla
Attendance: 67,540
Portugal (4-3-3): Beto (Eduardo, 89), Joao Pereira (Varela, 62), Miguel Veloso, Carvalho, Pepe, Bruno Alves, Joao Moutinho, Amorim, Eder (Vierinha, 69), Nani, Ronaldo
Subs not used: Ricardo Costa, Neto, Rafa Silva, Meireles
Ghana (4-2-3-1): Dauda, Afful, Asamoah, Badu, Boye, Mensah, Aisu, Rabiu (Acquah, 75), Gyan, Waris (Ayew J), Ayew A (Wakaso, 81)
Subs not used: Adams, Inkoom, Opare, Essien, Larsen Kwarasey, Adomah, Sumalia
