FootyDream

In the third round of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers, Ghana claimed a hard-fought 1-0 victory against Angola at Baba Yara Sports Stadium.

Antoine Semenyo netted a late winner after a rebound from a Mohammed Kudus free-kick.

Although the Black Stars secured three points, Chris Hughton’s first game in charge did not offer any new developments.

footy.ghpush.com/ run the rule over the Black Stars players:

Lawrence Ati-Zigi – 6

Largely did not have a lot to do, but was clean anytime he was called upon. He made a good save early on to stop the Palancas Negras from taking a shock lead.

Denis Odoi – 5

Had to deal with two players at some point but held his nerve and came out clean.

Gideon Mensah – 4.5

Gideon Mensah suffered a lot during the game because he was targeted by the Palancas Negras. Helda Costa made a meal out of him because Kamaldeen Sulemana did not help him by tracking back.

Daniel Amartey – 5

The Leicester City defender’s partnership with Alexander Djiku didn’t work to perfection, but they still managed to keep a clean sheet.

Alexander Djiku – 5.5

The Strasbourg man didn’t finish the game because of injury but was a bit jittery in some situations, especially aerially. His attempted headed clearance almost led to Angola causing a shock early on.

Thomas Partey – 7

The Arsenal midfielder was Ghana’s best player in the game and was completely involved, putting in something close to what we see him do at Arsenal.

Edmund Addo – 4.5

The Spartak Subotica midfielder was one of the surprise picks from Chris Hughton for this game. He was caught in the moment at times and didn’t know the decisions to make with the ball.

Mohammed Kudus – 4.5

The Ajax man did not impose himself in the game as he has done for the Black Stars at the World Cup. He still tried a few moves and shots, but it wasn’t one of his best games in a Ghana shirt.

Jordan Ayew – 6

The Crystal Palace winger was bright and was not afraid to take on opponents but gave away the ball on a number of occasions. He was decent.

Kamaldeen Sulemana – 5

The Southampton winger tried to be direct, but his final passing and decision-making were poor.

Inaki Williams – 4.5

The Athletic Club player is still struggling to integrate into the Black Stars team and was a bit confused about his role on the pitch.

Substitutes:

Antoine Semenyo – 7

The Bournemouth man was a super sub and was quick to pounce on the rebound from the Kudus free-kick, slamming in the winner late on.

Salis Abdul Samed – 5

Joseph Paintsil – 4

Osman Bukari – N/A

Joseph Aidoo – N/A

In the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers, Ghana defeated Angola 1-0 in a packed Baba Yara Stadium on Thursday, marking Chris Hughton’s successful managerial debut for the team. Despite dominating possession, the Black Stars found it difficult to create clear-cut chances against a defensive-minded Palancas Negras side.

In the first half, Mohammed Kudus stood out for Ghana, attempting shots from range and taking on defenders, but his efforts lacked power to beat Angola’s goalkeeper Adilson Cipriano Da Cruz. Angola built up from the back without any pressure and remained composed. Although they had a few half-chances, they seemed content with earning a point, as evidenced by their time-wasting tactics in the second half.

In the second half, Hughton made several changes, taking off underwhelming attackers Jordan Ayew and Inaki Williams, and replacing them with Joseph Paintsil and Antoine Semenyo, respectively. Semenyo’s inclusion proved to be the match-winner as he scored the only goal of the game in the 96th minute, pouncing on a scrappy ball inside the penalty box. This was the London-born striker’s second goal for Ghana.

Ghana is now three points clear at the top of their qualifying group, and another win against Angola on Monday in Luanda will seal their qualification to next year’s tournament in Ivory Coast. While the win is a positive start for Hughton, he acknowledges that there is still work to be done to help Ghana become serial winners and end their trophy drought.

The head coach of the Black Stars, Chris Hughton has named his starting eleven to face off with their counterpart from Angola today.

The two teams meet at the Baba Yara Stadium in Kumasi in a 2023 CAF Cup of Nations Group E qualifier.

Lawrence Ati-Zigi who was outstanding in the country’s World Cup games in Qatar earlier this year will start in goal with Dennis Odoi and Gideon Mensah flanking him.

The central defense will have Daniel Amartey and Alexandre Djiku with Edmund Addo and Thomas Partey playing ahead of them.

Jordan Ayew and Kamaldeen Sulemana will be on the flanks with Mohammed Kudus playing behind Inaki Williams who is leading the lines.

Chris Hughton has announced that Southampton’s Mohammed Salisu may not play in Ghana’s game against Angola on March 23, 2023, due to an injury.

While the coach has not disclosed his lineup, we have created a possible formation featuring Jojo Wollacott as the goalkeeper, Daniel Amartey and Alexander Djiku as central defenders, and Dennis Odoi and Gideon Mensah as full-backs.

The midfielders will likely be Abdul Salis Samed and Thomas Partey, with Jordan Ayew, Mohammed Kudus, Joseph Paintsil, and Inaki Williams playing upfront.

Inaki Williams is expected to lead the lines for the Stars.

How Ghana could line up:

Jojo Wollacott, Dennis Odoi, Gideon Mensah, Daniel Amartey, Alexander Djiku, Abdul Salis, Thomas Partey, Joseph Paintsil, Jordan Ayew, Mohammed Kudus, Inaki Williams

Chris Hughton, the coach of the Black Stars, explained during a press conference ahead of their 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Palancras Negras of Angola why Baba Rahman was not included in the 25-man squad.

Rahman, a crucial member of the team, was excluded due to an injury he sustained while playing for his club, Reading FC. Hughton revealed that Rahman has been out of action for the past three weeks and has not played for his club during that period.

“It’s very easy, Baba Rahman is injured. He is been injured for the past three weeks. If you look at probably the last three week or a month he hasn’t played for his club Reading FC”

The Black Stars will play against Angola on March 23, 2023, at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium in Kumasi before traveling to Luanda for the return leg encounter on March 27, 2023.