Africa-Press – Ghana. The Black Stars booked a place in the Africa Cup of Nations for the 10th consecutive time following a 2-1 victory over the Central African Republic in Kumasi on Thursday.
Chris Hughton’s side was pegged back in the 25th minute as Louis Mafouta rounded Lawrence Ati Zigi and placed the ball into an empty net.
However, Mohammed Kudus restored parity just before the halftime whistle from a free-kick.
Ernest Nuamah finished it off shortly after coming on late in the game. Ghana finished top of Group E with 12 points and qualified alongside Angola who finished second.
Here are five things we learned.
Result earned but performance not convincing
The Black Stars needed at least one point to secure qualification, and they got that point.
But it needed a moment of brilliance from Mohammed Kudus to get the result, not an excellent collective performance.
The team looked out of sync for the most part, struggling to string a number of passes across the pitch.
Chris Hughton will face tougher tests at the AFCON. He needs to find a way to make the team gel better. Yes, of course, there are injuries but the performance could have been much better.
Mohammed Kudus has Ghana’s hopes on his shoulders
What can really be said about Mohammed Kudus? Strong on the ball, a tricky opponent for any defender and has the ability to produce some magic.
He netted his second-ever free kick in his career and what a goal that was!
The 23-year-old has proven himself at the national team level on several occasions, including the 2022 World Cup.
The message to the technical team is simple now; build the side around this boy from Nima to the East end of London.
Jordan Ayew has no business taking set-pieces
Over the years, Ghana have struggled to make set-pieces count.
Players have tried to make something out of free-kicks and corners and it has not worked.
Against the Central African Republic, Jordan, given the mantle as captain, decided to take the set-piece role upon himself.
But his performance in that aspect left little to be desired, constantly failing to find a target. The technical team now have to consider other players for the role.
Booing Baba Rahman distasteful
Abdul Baba Rahman is an interesting case at the national team level.
At the early points of his career, he was regarded as one of the best full-backs in Europe and the world.
But due to injuries and poor form, his name and selection in lineups bring negative reactions from Ghanaians. In most matches, it is merited. But in this particular match, at a ground known to support its own, the reaction from supporters anytime he touched the ball was distasteful. It was an important match and each player needed an extra jolt from the fans, including Baba Rahman.
His inclusion in the team isn’t really his fault. Booing should be discouraged, especially against a home player.
Salis and Owusu midfield pairing not good enough
Again, an injury to the vice captain Thomas Partey forced the pairing of Elisha Owusu and Salis Samed in midfield.
But there was some hope that both would provide stability and control in a game of this magnitude.
However, they struggled defensively, leaving huge spaces for their opponents to attack.
It could be because they’ve barely played alongside each other. Maybe they’ll do better given another opportunity.
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