Ghana picked a scrappy 1-0 win over Angola at Baba Yara Sports Stadium in the third round fixture of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers.
Antoine Semenyo scored a late winner from a rebound that came from a Mohammed Kudus free-kick.
The three points were secured but there was nothing fresh from the Black Stars in Chris Hughton’s first game.
Here are five things we’ve learned from the game.
Squandering of early chances
Ghana had about three chances that should have been, at least, be on target but none was. Mohammed Kudus saw Ghana’s first real chance from close range early in from very close range but dragged it wide. Inaki Williams was also put through but was unable to get on the ball early.
Poor aerial ability of Ghana’s backline
Ghana’s backline was poor with their aerial clearances, especially in the opening 20 minutes. Alexander Djiku headed a ball but directed to the right corner flag. A cross followed and almost caused problems for the Black Stars. There were other situations where this manifested.
The passing problem
The Black Stars struggled to find their teammates with their passes through out the first half. Jordan Ayew alone lost possession 11 times, most of them attempted passes. The were so many situations where the player doesn’t know what he wants to do with the ball and ends up giving away the ball.
Gideon Mensah targeted
Gideon Mensah’s side was used a lot by the Palancas Negras, with Helda Costa completely dominating him at Ghana’s left side of defence. Kamaldeen Sulemana did not track back to help him out when he was being overloaded.
Ghana’s attack was dead
There was no urgency in Ghana’s attack throughout the game, with no pressing on the Angolan defence from the Black Stars forwards. No cutting edge, poor decision making throughout the game. almost gave the fans nothing to cheer.