Dreams FC shared the spoils with Accra Lions after a pulsating encounter at the Dawu Theatre of Dreams on Sunday.
Abass Samari’s early second-half header was cancelled by Aziz Issah as Lions returned home with an important point.
Having played in midweek against Academica do Lobito in the CAF Confederation Cup, Dreams FC returned to Premier League action with the intention of continuing their good form in Africa.
Issah came close early in the game after his strike hit the post but Accra Lions were equal to the task, also creating chances in the first half. Bernard Kesse and Daniel Awuni were close in the space of a minute
Accra Lions took their chance after the break following a brilliant header from Samari.
Goalkeeper Daniel Afful made a brilliant save to deny Dreams FC from equalizing a few moments later.
However, the host pulled level on the hour mark after Issah curled home from a freekick.
Despite late changes from both sides, the two teams kept it mute at the back to split the points.
Nsoatreman recorded a hard-fought narrow win over Aduana Stars at the Nana Koromansah Park on Sunday to return to winning ways after losing their last two matches.
Stephen Diyuo’s 54th minute strike for the hosts was the difference to deny The Fire Boys the chance to extend their lead at the top of the league standings.
The first half ended goalless but Maxwell Konadu’s side put up a spirited performance to break the deadlock recess. Their defense showed resilience as they navigated pressure from Aduana who were keen to restore parity to ensure at least the spoils were shared.
Nsoatreman hanged on to seal all three points to go level on 27 points with the visitors. Aduana drop to second position, 2 points behind new leaders, Samartex who won at home to struggling Karela.
Konadu and his charges will be excited to record this crucial Bono derby win to move into 3rd position within striking distance of Samartex.
FC Samartex 1996 lived up to expectations as they returned to winning ways in the Ghana Premier League, destroying Karela United at the Nsenkyire Stadium.
The Timber Giants recovered from last week’s setback to claim a comfortable and deserving 3-0 triumph over Karela on Sunday afternoon to move to the top of the league table.
Samartex were up and running right from the start of the matchday 16 fixture with total dominance.
Nurudeen Amadu’s side had their dominance paid off on the stroke of half-time when forward Emmanuel Mamah opened the scoring with a screamer.
Mamah came close to getting the second goal of the match, but his effort was denied by the framework five minutes after the interval.
The forward jumped high over his marker and hit the ball with his head.
A few minutes later, midfielder Seidu Dauda Yussif doubled the advantage for Samartex when he hit the ball from distance to beat the Karela goalkeeper.
Baba Hamadu Musa put the icing on the cake in the 76th minute when he connected a cross from defender Francis Gyetuah with a powerful header.
Samartex retake the top spot following Sunday’s victory as they move two points clear with 29 points from 16 matches. Aduana Stars, Nsoatreman FC, and Berekum Chelsea are all on 27 points.
Ghana international Mohammed Kudsu continues to make a significant impact in his debut Premier League season, adding another goal to his impressive tally on Saturday.
The attacking midfielder showcased his prowess as West Ham secured a notable 2-0 victory over Manchester United at the London Stadium.
Kudus demonstrated his skill with a brilliant finish, taking advantage of a mistake by young English-Ghanaian midfielder Kobbie Mainoo.
Kudus pounced on the ball, and played a one-two with Brazilian Lucas Paquetá, before showcasing his clinical finishing ability. Despite facing two United players, Kudus managed to strike the ball low and hard into the net, celebrating his goal with his trademark move of sitting on the advertising board.
The partnership between Kudus and Paquetá has proven to be instrumental for West Ham, with Paquetá providing the assist for Kudus’ two goals in the previous weekend’s 3-0 triumph over Wolves.
In his debut Premier League season, Kudus has now amassed an impressive six goals, contributing significantly to West Ham’s success. Since joining the club in August, his overall goal tally stands at an impressive 10 in all competitions.
Kudus has swiftly established himself as a key player for West Ham, trailing only three goals behind the club’s top scorer, Jarrod Bowen, who also found the net in Saturday’s match against Manchester United.
The Ghanaian international’s goal-scoring prowess and on-field partnership with Paquetá have undoubtedly played a crucial role in West Ham’s positive performances this season.
As Kudus continues to shine, his contributions bode well for West Ham’s aspirations in the Premier League, and he remains a player to watch as the season unfolds.
Since Chris Hughton (65) was appointed in early 2023, Mohammed Kudus (23) has only played 90 minutes on four occasions and scored twice in nine games for Ghana.
It could have been a moment he dreamt of growing up but this time in front of 43,983 people at the Education City Stadium during the 2022 World Cup. Kudus had just curled the ball past the South Korean goalkeeper Kim Seung-Gyu to restore Ghana’s lead in a must-win game for both countries.
Kudus celebrated with passion, his teammates took turns trying to hug him, but the former Nordsjaelland player found the closest camera and celebrated with deep passion. Ghana held on, the stadium erupted as Kudus became the first Ghanaian to score a brace in a World Cup game.
At just 22 years old, Kudus had just proved that he was ready to lead the Black Stars. Seated in the stands was Chris Hughton, taking notes in the capacity of the national team technical advisor at the time.
The natural progression was for the player to become a core pillar of a national team undergoing a rebuild. More than a year later, Kudus has just one competitive goal to his name under Hughton.
In that same period, he’s gone on to join West Ham and is the club’s second-highest scorer this season. With the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations looming, one of the key areas Hughton has to look at is how to maximise the potential of his charge.
Evolution
In an interview with TalkSPORT, Hughton referred to Kudus as “…a 10 because he’s a goalscorer, you want to get him close to goal, but he has had good success playing on that right-hand side.”
Whilst answering the question on his remarks on Kudus, Hughton mentioned the number 10 three times in the space of 15 seconds. In his closing argument, he stated that he expects the player to become a number 10 though he’s talented and can play across the front line.
The debate concerning Kudus’ best position grew with him through youth football. In his first professional club at Norsdjaelland, he was deployed in six different positions.
During his two years in Denmark, he spent 44% of his total minutes playing as a central midfielder, 35% as a false nine, 7% as a central attacking midfielder, 9% on the wings and 3% as a defensive midfielder.
It was evident that playing in midfield was his most preferred position after all his formative years at Strong Tower FC and Right to Dream saw him play in much deeper areas. At a young age, Kudus showed immaculate strength on the ball coupled with his silky footwork. He was a delight to watch as he consistently carried the ball for long distances.
He caught the eye of Ajax and in his first competitive start for the Dutch club, he won man of the match against Waalwijk. Kudus pulled the strings from midfield like his role model Thiago in that game and announced his presence even without a goal or assist. In his first three games for Ajax, he scored one goal and provided three assists as Erik ten Hag described him as a player with “incredible potential”. A knee injury against Liverpool in the Champions League derailed his progress as he saw limited minutes for an extended period.
Alfred Schreuder then came in and played Kudus as a false nine – his second favourite position in Denmark. The Ghanaian took his chance and went on an impressive scoring run. However, when John Heitinga took over as interim coach he moved Kudus to the right wing. Once again the player adapted and was scoring at an even higher rate than under Schreuder. He ended the season with 11 league goals and West Ham came calling.
In London, Kudus has continued on the right wing which comes as no surprise considering Heitinga is now part of West Ham’s technical team. So far, he has five Premier League goals in eight starts and has largely looked impressive whenever he plays.
Is he a number 10?
Whenever Kudus is asked about his favourite position be it in Denmark, the Netherlands, or England, he always says in midfield as a number eight or 10. It’s interesting how he always ends those quotes by stating it’s a team sport and he can also play anywhere to help the team.
In Hughton’s assessment, he praised the structure that David Moyes has put in place to help Kudus settle in England quickly. It is similar to Heitinga’s setup at Ajax where though Kudus is a right winger, he doesn’t necessarily stay on the wings. Quite often, he is in the half spaces functioning as an inside forward.
More specifically, Kudus operates as an inverted winger now at West Ham with his first instinct to come inside and combine with team mates whilst the right back occupies the wide areas. As such, he ends up in central areas and can use his skillset which suits him in the middle of the park.
Interestingly, in Kudus’ best game for the Black Stars which came against South Korea in the World Cup, Otto Addo played him in a similar role. His two goals came as a result of him moving into the penalty box instead of holding his width as a winger.
The number 10 position can be viewed in two ways; an operative midfielder who links the midfield to the attack or a second striker who arrives late and scores goals. Kudus is more of the latter as his creation statistics have never been his strength as a player. His highest expected assist (xA) per 90 was 0.24 and that was from the two league games before he left Ajax this season. Before that, his highest xA per 90 read at 0.18 in the 2021/22 Eredivisie season.
At West Ham this season, his xA per 90 in the Premier League is 0.15. For context, Kudus’ xA per 90 tally amounts to two big chances created which leaves him behind Vladimir Coufal (3), Jarrod Bowen (4), Lucas Paqueta (6), and James Ward-Prowse (6) in West Ham’s rankings. If you extend it to the national team, Kudus’ only assist came against Madagascar in the AFCON qualifier in fortuitous fashion because he miskicked the ball to Osman Bukari who scored.
Kudus is not the type of player to provide the eye of a needle pass splitting defences just yet. What he is good at is navigating through tight areas, picking up spaces in opponents’ penalty box, and having incredible ball-striking ability. Instead of arguing whether he is a 10 or not, the focus should be on what position will help maximise his outlined strengths.
Where does he fit in Ghana’s side?
Hughton says he wants to get Kudus closer to the goal, an idea that makes a lot of sense on paper. The West Ham player has currently scored 9 goals in all competitions this season from 13 shots on target. His 8 goals from the league and Europa League means he’s over-performed his Expected Goals (3.6) by 4.4. Kudus is one of the most lethal finishers in the Premier League this season.
Hughton could take inspiration from Moyes and also use Kudus from the right wing but the variables at West Ham and Ghana just aren’t the same. If Tariq Lamptey isn’t fit for the AFCON, then there is no right back in the provisional squad who can offer that penetrative force in wide areas for Kudus to come narrow. Also, at West Ham a lot of the creative burden is on Ward-Prowse and Paqueta which allows Kudus to thrive. In Ghana, a lot will also depend on Partey’s fitness with Daniel-Kofi Kyereh also missing the competition due to the ACL injury sustained.
The truth is there are a lot of rough edges when it comes to using Kudus as an inverted winger due to the aforementioned circumstances. Hughton has tinkered and deployed the 23-year-old in a similar role though it was a 3-4-3 formation. In that game against Liberia Kudus was very involved and scored a well-taken goal.
It could be one of the formations Hughton turns to for the AFCON but there’ll be question marks after it was seemingly figured out in a friendly against Mexico. Ghana’s biggest asset heading into the AFCON will be the depth of wingers – most of which possess unbelievable pace and trickery.
I don’t see Hughton playing Kudus on the wings for this reason as he will want to make the most out of the winger repository. If Kudus is deployed as a number 10 in Ghana, it has to be as a second striker so he can get on the end of moves and also have the liberty to pick up spaces in the opposition defence. The creative burden will have to be placed on the wingers and maybe a number eight that can carry the ball and equally pick a pass.
Laryea Kingston thinks that the hurt and suffering imposed on former players is the reason behind the Black Stars’ recent lack of success.
Kingston, who made 41 appearances for the Black Stars and scored six goals, claims that the national team has harmed many players, including himself, and that this is having a detrimental effect on the efforts of the current generation to lead the team to victory.
Although the Black Stars came near to winning a trophy in 1992, 2010, and 2015 when they fell in the Africa Cup of Nations finals, Kingston noted that the team had not taken home a trophy since 1982.
He thinks that the team’s failure is the result of a long-standing problem that requires attention from the authorities.
According to Kingston, the answer to ending the curse and helping the Black Stars succeed again may lie in expressing regret and making amends to the impacted players.
He thinks Black Stars are capable of winning and have the quality to do so, but they are being held back by the bad vibes from previous setbacks.
“There is something wrong. The national team have hurt so many former players, including myself. So, someone will sit back and not pray for the Black Stars if they are playing. Authorities have to go to every player and plead with them to let everything go. With the quality that we have, we can win it again,” Kingston said in an interview with Sienu TV.
Black Stars are currently preparing for the 2023 Afcon in Ivory Coast, where they will face Mozambique, Cape Verde, and Egypt in the group stage.
The Disciplinary Committee of the Ashanti Schools Sports Federation sat on various protests filed ahead of the 2023 Ashanti Regional Inter-school Boys’ Soccer Competition.
The committee sat on the cases on Friday, December 22, 2023.
The qualifiers for the competition scheduled for January 9, 2024, saw 32 teams qualifying for the competition.
However, some of the schools have lost their slots after losing protests filed against them.
KNUST SHS, who qualified from Group 30, have lost their place to St. Hubert. The latter filed a protest against Ankomah Ezekiel, and after the cross-examination, KNUST was found guilty and fined GHS 500.
Kumasi Senior High and Technical School (KSHTS) has also won against Wiafe Akenten, who qualified from Group 23. KSHTS protested against five unqualified players of Wiafe Akenten, namely Azamati Silas, Henry Boakye, Silas Boadu, Haruna Simon, and Renus Dery.
Evidence tendered by KSHTS was enough to prove their case beyond every reasonable doubt. The committee fined Wiafe Akenten SHS guilty as charged, and therefore KSTS qualified.
Wiafe Akenten SHS was fined GHS 1,500 for the five players. The P.E. tutors at the school have been referred to the regional director of education.
Tweneboah Kodua SHS filed a protest against St. Michael, but based on the evidence tendered by both parties, it was established by the committee that the player they protested against, Annoh Prince, is a legitimate student of St. Michael. However, St. Michael was fined GHS 300 for a typo.
Kumasi Academy also put in a protest against Afigya SHTS, who emerged as winners in Group 4, for failing to produce a photo album for inspection. Afigya SHTS headmaster accepted guilt and pleaded for clemency.
Kumasi Academy won the nod to play in the knockout stage, taking the place of Afigya SHTS, who were fined GHS 500.
Ghanaian FA Cup champions Dreams FC continue to make waves in their first appearance in the CAF Confederation Cup, as they delivered an exceptional performance at the Baba Yara Stadium, thumping Angolan side Academica do Lobito 4-0.
This emphatic victory follows their 3-2 win in Luanda, completing the double over their opponents.
Agyenim Boateng initiated the scoring in the 35th minute, giving Dreams FC a well-deserved lead. The hosts further extended their advantage through an own goal, leaving Academica do Lobito reeling.
Teenage prodigy Abdul Aziz Issah stole the show with a remarkable goal from midfield, securing the third goal for Dreams FC. Issah wasn’t done yet, as he set up the fourth and final goal, capping off a dominant display by Karim Zito’s men.
With this resounding triumph, Dreams FC have amassed nine points, placing them atop Group A. They hold a three-point edge over both Rivers United and Club Africain, who are set to clash in Tunisia later today. Unfortunately, Academica do Lobito have been eliminated from the competition following this defeat.
Dreams FC’s dream run in the CAF Confederation Cup continues, and their impressive performances have captured the attention of fans across the continent.
Medeama’s hopes of advancing to the knockout stage of the CAF Champions League suffered a significant setback on Wednesday as they were soundly defeated by Yanga SC in Tanzania.
The Ghanaian champions delivered a lacklustre performance, succumbing to a 3-0 defeat that now places their qualification hopes in jeopardy. Striker Jonathan Sowah had an opportunity to level the score with a penalty after Medeama conceded the first goal in the first half. However, Sowah, despite winning the penalty, failed to convert.
Unfortunately for Medeama, Yanga capitalised on this miss, leading to a demoralized Medeama conceding twice more at the Benjamin Mkapa National Stadium.
To compound Medeama’s woes, Sowah was later sent off in the closing stages of the game, further diminishing their chances in their next crucial match against Al Ahly in Kumasi, as he will be unavailable.
With this convincing victory, Yanga has climbed to the second position in the group with five points, tying with leaders Al Ahly, who have also accumulated five points but have played one game less. Medeama now find themselves in third place with four points, level with Algerian champions CR Belouizdad, who also have a game in hand.
The scheduled clash between Al Ahly and Belouizdad in Cairo has been postponed due to Al Ahly’s participation in the Club World Cup in Saudi Arabia, adding further complexity to the Group D dynamics in the CAF Champions League.