Ghana’s U20 side, The Black Satellites, were reduced to tatters on Thursday afternoon by a depleted Dreams FC side that has transferred virtually all their first team players following the Anas Exposé.
Goals from experienced midfielder Manuel Eli Keke, Michael Amoh and Richard Addai in the second half gave the visiting side the handsome win over the U20 male national team in a game that was highly competitive.
FootballMadeInGhana.com takes a look at the performance of the players of both teams and how they fared in the game. Each player is rated out of ten with an excellent performance scoring high marks.
Black Satellites (Ghana U20)
JordAn Amissah (GK) – 4
Amissah, who is relatively alien to the Ghanaian environment was amazing in the first half of the game but caved in to pressure from Dreams FC in the second half. Standing At 6ft 5in tall, the Sheffield United goalie pulled some magnificent saves in the first half and made some incredible stoppages with his swift outings. The second half was, however, bizarre.
Maxwell Arthur – 4
The Dreams FC defender was over-determined to prove a point against his club side and ended up not putting up a good show. He started well in the game and created the Satellites’ first chance which was squandered. He made good crosses from the flanks and an eagle eye on Dreams FC’s left wing back. He was substituted for Adrian Adjettey in the second half.
Moro Ibrahim – 4
The Karela United left back staged a good show in the first half of the game. His attacked very well and made good crosses. He gave a brilliant support to the Satellites left winger and created a lot of problems for Dreams FC. He gave way to Fard Ibrahim in the second half.
Handerson Mayonu – 4
Having partnered skipper Issahaku Konda for that position since the start of the qualifiers, Mayonu was comfortable from the start. He kept a good eye on Dreams FC striker Eric Gawu and stopped him from creating any danger in the first half. His partnership with Prosper Ahiabu was, however, not really cohesive.
Prosper Ahiabu – 4
Starting in an unusual position, Ahiabu managed to sit well with Mayonu in the center back position. His partnership with Mayonu was good in the first half but he kept making some pardonable errors since that was not his comfortable position. He moved to his original holding midfield role in the second half but couldn’t stop the determined Dreams FC side from scoring.
Ashittey Armah – 5
Armah had a good game as he played the entire duration of the game. His tackles were on point and so were his passes. He was strong and combative in fighting for the balls in the middle and was active in pushing the balls forward.
Frank Arhin – 6
Obviously the best player of the Black Satellites. He was the only player in the team who could take on the defenders of Dreams FC. He was smart and skillfully swift. His crosses were apt and had eye for defence-splitting passes. Had a good game.
Sabit Ibrahim – 3
He looked soft and not too energetic. The coach kept firing him with instructions as he struggled to do what the coach wanted until he was substituted. He pace was slow and was not too combative as a central midfielder. His weapon, long range shots, were block as the Dreams FC midfielders always closed him down.
Basit Omar – 3
As the lead attacker of the Satellites, he managed only a shot at goal, his positioning in relation to his players was poor. He struggled to run into space for the balls and was not good on the ball. He always looked for the opportunity to unleash a drive which he never got.
Sulley Ibrahim- 5
He started the game very well and was fluid in the midfield. He gave excellent passes to his forward and was forced on a number of occasions to attack himself. He had a shot at goal in the first half but was swiftly closed down afterward. Crafty as he is, he was able to get his way out with the ball but could not simply get it into the net.
Gabrile Leveh – 3
Leveh had speed as his main weapon but struggled to skip past the Dreams FC right wing-back. He tried taking him on on several occasions but failed. He looked a bit tired as he was not fighting for balls anytime he loses them which forced the coach to be shouting at him anytime the Satellites lost possession until he was substituted in the second half.
Substitutes
Andrian Adjettey -3
He came on for Maxwell Arthur and had a good game. His crosses were apt and showed massive improvement over his performance in Togo.
Fard Ibrahim – 2
Came on for Moro Ibrahim and showed some promise but was too late.
Emmanuel Toku -3
Came on for Frank Arhin and continued what Frank started. He gave the Dreams defenders some hell but Masawudu who came from the bench was too strong for Toku. But Toku gave some good crosses and ignited the Satellites attack.
Emmanuel Kumah – 3
Came on for Sabit Ibrahim and showed a lot of energy and urgency but was too late.
Fred Quarshie – 2
Came on for Basit and was not different. He struggled to be on his feet.
Enock Atta Agyei – 3
Came on for Sulley Ibrahim and showed signs of urgency and progress but Dreams had closed the back and he couldn’t weave his way through.
Dreams FC
Tahiru Alhassan – 5
He started the game poorly but picked up with time. He showed too much confidence and always kept the ball with him and hardly gave long kicks. He made about three brilliant saves and kept his defenders in check.
Michael Agbekpornu – 7
Watching him for the first time and he was amazing. Was cool and collected on the ball and never made a mistake in the entire duration of the game he lasted. He was however not supporting the attack on many occasions but gave a lot of shield to the midfield. His tackles were apt and his timing amazing. His level of intelligence was shown in the game.
Issah Yakubu – 7
He defended well and hardly made mistakes. He was aggressive and also showed signs of intelligence on the ball. His combination of aggression and ball-playing approach as a center back were admirable.
Ibrahim Abdallah – 5
Had a good game and kept his opponents in good check. He was a bit sluggish at the start of the game and gave away some balls but settled in well later.
Kingsley Owusu – 5
Played well by defending more but his attacking prowess was not shown. He was a little slow in his attacking approach and was not combative as well. He was however able to stop his marker from creating danger for his side.
Samuel Aggrey – 5
Started the game well and showed some promise. He was great with the ball and passed very well. He fought to strengthen the midfield and released some incredible runs on the flanks.
Samuel Alabi -8
Clever with the ball and intelligent without it. His jerking ability made him the best midfielder on the field. His passing and ball distribution were apt and his skill, sumptuous. He was smart and made no mistake is locating who to give a ball to. He was the engineer of the Dreams FC midfield.
Emmanuel Eli Keke – 9
Had a great game as well. His level of intelligence and composure on the field was second to none. He showed leadership and was on point with his passes. He slowed the game when needed to tone down pressure and increased the pace when necessary. He never lost a contest for the ball and was combative too. He scored the opener for Dreams FC.
Eric Gawu – 6
Despite being policed for the entire first half, Gawu created some decent chances. He created a hell of a time for the defenders of the Ghana U20 side and was always on the run. His energy level was amazing and he was relentless in his pursuit for goals.
Michael Amoh – 7
He grabbed the second goal for Dreams FC with an amazing low curler. His work rate was amazing and his energy level too was admirable. He kept pushing the U20 defenders until he had his goal before being substituted. The army officer was good on the ball and his distribution too was not bad.
Cletus Nombil – 7
Cletus had a great game and was a key architect of the victory for Dreams FC. His passing and ball distribution were great. His tackles were apt and his level of intelligence was admirable. His work rate was wonderful too.
Sub
Abdallah Masawudu – 3
Masawudu came on for Ibrahim Abdllah in the second half and shown signs of being jittery. He was aggressive and strong but he made some mistakes which could have been avoided.
Clifford Hanson – 6
He came on from the bench for Eric Gawu in the second half and proved his was the most productive players in the team in that half. He provided two assists as a sub and also came close to scoring.
Richard Addai – 4
He scored the final goal of the game with his first touch moments after he was introduced into the game. Even though he did not show signs of being good with the ball, he showed signs of being a clinical finisher. He came on for Michael Amoh.
Samuel Pimpong – 3
Came on for Kingsley Owusu and did not do bad at all. His efforts increased the fluidity of play in the Dreams FC attack. His strength in midfield was admirable too.
Sa’ad Adams – 2
Very promising youngster. Came on with about 5 minutes to end the game but showed a lot of promise with the ball.
Ibrahim Issah – 3
Came on for Samuel Aggrey to also have a bite of the game. Tried on some occasions to use his swiftness on the flanks but couldn’t get his way through.
