The Black Stars of Ghana delivered a big result in its quest to qualify to the 2026 FIFA World Cup by beating Mali 2-1 in Bamako.
The Stars scored their second win in three games thus far in the qualifiers with veteran forward Jordan Ayew climbing off the bench to score the winner in the 94th minute.
The Crystal Palace player was surprisingly dropped from the starting lineup for the game but made his presence count after subbing on for Antoine Semenyo in the 79th minute. (Click highlighted text to read full story)
Ghana conceded close to the end of the first half through a fortuitous goal from Kamory Doumbia after a block attempt on a shot from Doumbia bounced off Alexander Djiku and came off the Stade Brest midfielder into the net.
However, Otto Addo’s team improved in the early phases of the second half and got the equalizer through a powerful Ernest Nuamah header in the 56th minute.
Ghana had a couple of chances to get the lead until substitute Abdul Fatawu Issahaku forced Mali into a mistake and robbed them off possession before setting up Jordan Ayew to score Ghana’s second goal on a second shot attempt.
The Black Stars take on Central African Republic in Kumasi on Monday, June 10.
Black Stars Player Ratings After The Win Against Mali.
Here’s the ratings of the Black Stars players:
Lawrence Ati-Zigi – 7
He made two crucial saves in the opening moments to keep Ghana in the tie. The goalkeeper saw a lot of the ball and his distribution on the night was also fairly impressive.
Tariq Lamptey – 7.5
The Brighton and Hove Albion right back was electric going forward. He got into very good positions in the right wing-back role and should have had an assist if Antoine Semenyo converted his cross.
Alidu Seidu – 7
He was very aggressive in his pressing and made some good interceptions. His passing on the night could have been better.
Alexander Djiku – 7.5
He found answers to everything thrown at him and was a leader at the back. Time and time again, he displayed good awareness to sense danger and clear it.
Mohammed Salisu – 6.5
Despite playing a few wayward passes, the Monaco center-back showed his strength winning several aerial duels.
Gideon Mensah – 5.5
Lost concentration on the Mali goal and was also sloppy on several occasions. He found it difficult to contain the threat from Mali’s right wing.
Salis Samed – 6.5
His assist for the Nuamah goal was pure quality. However, his decision-making wasn’t great for most of the game. Lost possession a number of times in the middle of the park.
Thomas Partey – 7
Partey was ever-present in the middle of the park as he always showed for the ball. He created good opportunities for Ghana with his accurate passes but should have scored the last-minute chance.
Mohammed Kudus – 6
He had a few bright moments but was a passenger for majority of the game. He managed to create a few goalscoring opportunities and on another day should have been on the scoresheet.
Ernest Nuamah – 6.5
He scored a lovely header to draw Ghana level but looked uncomfortable playing narrow. He got on the ball a lot more in the first half but faded away in the second especially after scoring.
Antoine Semenyo – 6
He worked hard running the channels but could have been more prolific. None of his efforts hit the target and should have connected properly with Lamptey’s cross.
Substitutes
Elisha Owusu – 5
He didn’t look up to speed in the 18 minutes he played and picked up the game’s only yellow card.
Jordan Ayew – 7
In his 11 minutes on the pitch, the Crystal Palace forward created one big chance and scored the winner.
Abdul Mumin – 6
He kept things simple after coming and slotted in seamlessly for Alidu Seidu.
Ibrahim Sulemana – N/A
Fatawu Issahaku – N/A
NB: Only players with at least 10 minutes were rated.
Source: 87solutions.blogspot.com
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