Portugal and Ghana both crashed out of the World Cup this afternoon as the European side ran out 2-1 victors in Brasilia.

Paulo Bento's men needed a substantial swing in goal difference to progress, but despite Cristiano Ronaldo giving them all three points, they were unable to provide the minor miracle needed.

Here, Sports Mole takes an in-depth look at who impressed during the 2014 World Cup swansong for these two sides.

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PORTUGAL

Goal

Beto: Was relatively quiet all game but made one superb save to deny Gyan with the match still goalless. Had no chance with the goal but did deny Gyan with a couple of other routine stops. Was visibly upset having been forced off in the closing stages through injury. (7/10)

Defence

Joao Pereira: Was a threat when coming forward on occasions, putting a few deliveries into the box for Ronaldo to attack. However, struggled a bit defensively as Atsu got more into the game in the first half. Taken off on the hour mark. (6/10)

Pepe: No headbutts, no tantrums and a solid defensive display. Made one or two vital interceptions and dealt with the handful that is Gyan quite well. Proved that, when he isn't a liability, he is a good player. (7/10)

Bruno Alves: Strong at the back alongside Pepe, making some good clearances from dangerous positions. Was caught out once or twice when it came to pace, but was imposing in the air all day. (7/10)

Miguel Veloso: Did quite well as a makeshift left-back. Was unsurprisingly caught out on occasion, but his flank was not a noticeable weakness for Portugal. Provided plenty of attacking threat down the left, including delivering the cross that led to the own goal. (7/10)

Midfield

Joao Moutinho: Fortunate not to be sent off in the first half after two certain yellow-card challenges that went unpunished further than a free kick by the ref. Did finally pick up a card in stoppage time for the most cynical of trips on Gyan. Did brilliantly in the build-up to the first goal, juggling the ball before playing it out wide for Veloso to cross. (7/10)

William Carvalho: Impressed off the bench against USA but didn't have the same impact today. Looked nervous in possession at times and sent a number of passes astray. (6/10)

Ruben Amorim: Tried his best to get involved in the match, but failed to have a substantial impact on proceedings. Came close to scoring shortly after his side took the lead, but dragged his shot into the side-netting. (6/10)

Attack

Nani: Same old stuff from Nani. Involved quite a lot, showing glimpses of quality at times, but then wasting very good positions at others. Needs to stamp the inconsistencies out of his game if he is to become a top player. (7/10)

Eder: Third-choice striker, and it was quite clear to see why. Was a physical presence and held the ball up well at times, but never made an impact or looked like threatening Ghana's defence. (6/10)

Cristiano Ronaldo: Hit the bar with an audacious effort early on that would have been goal of the tournament had it dropped in. Scored the winning goal with a precise finish into the bottom corner, albeit with a big helping hand from Ghana's defence. However, did miss a whole host of chances that he would usually expect to score. Portugal may have got the goals necessary to progress if he was his normal, clinical self. (8/10)

Substitutes

Silvestre Varela: Introduced on the hour mark but failed to reproduce his USA heroics. Had one or two shots that were easy enough for the keeper. (6/10)

Vieirinha: Replaced Eder and had a similarly minimal impact. Got a couple of chances to run at the defence with the ball at his feet, but failed to unduly worry the opposition. (6/10)

Eduardo: Came on for the distraught Beto in the 89th minute and had nothing substantial to do. (6/10)

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GHANA

Goal

Fatawu Dauda: Mixed bag for Dauda, who made a number of brilliant saves to deny Ronaldo but then flapped at the ball to gift the striker the winning goal. Was probably on course for man of the match before that error, but can be happy that he kept the score down at least. (7/10)

Defence

Harrison Afful: Solid performance from Afful, who will have been happy that Ronaldo spent most of his time down the middle rather than on the left. (6/10)

John Boye: Scored the own goal with a wild attempt at a clearance that skewed off his knee and in. Was unlucky with that, but then almost did the same again later in the match. Solid most of the time, but the own goal was an important moment in the game. (5/10)

Jonathan Mensah: Was a rock at the heart of the defence for most of the game, using his physical presence to impose himself on the Portuguese strikers. However, his clearance from a cross led to the winning goal as Dauda attempted to clear it from under his own crossbar. (6/10)

Kwadwo Asamoah: Has had a disappointing World Cup, largely due to being kept in a more reserved left-back role rather being allowed to attack as he does at Juventus. When he was allowed to get forward today, he provided arguably the cross of the tournament so far to set up the equaliser. (7/10)

Midfield

Christian Atsu: Was bright on either wing as he switched from side to side throughout the match. Still lacking that extra piece of quality in the final third, but he is young and that could come. (7/10)

Mohammed Rabiu: Worked really hard in midfield all day as he looked to close the Portuguese down. Didn't have a great impact on the ball, but was tireless off it. (7/10)

Emmanuel Agyemang-Badu: Struggled to make a huge impact on the game. (6/10)

Andre Ayew: Replaced with eight minutes remaining having not had his usual impact on the match. Had one or two bright moments but wasn't too big of a threat to Portugal's defence. (6/10)

Attack

Majeed Waris: Missed a sitter that would have given his side the lead when at 1-1. Was solid throughout apart from the miss, but that could have put Ghana through. (6/10)

Asamoah Gyan: Was a handful all afternoon and was central to everything good that his side did. Took his goal well and set up the chance for Waris, while also creating a couple of other good opportunities for himself. His goal made him the highest scoring African player in World Cup history. (8/10)

Substitutes

Jordan Ayew: Lucky not to be sent off for a flailing arm aimed at William. Had a couple of bright moments in his 30-minute cameo, but was unable to make the difference. (6/10)

Afriyie Acquah: Replaced Rabiu with 15 minutes remaining and kept the workrate up. Solid display from the midfielder. (6/10)

Mubarak Wakaso: Looked bright during his eight-minute spell on the field, always trying to run at the defenders and create something. Came close with a good strike from distance. (7/10)

Written by
Barney Corkhill