The Black Meteors of Ghana took a giant step in qualifying for the Under 23 AFCON in Egypt as they gave Gabon a 4-0 mauling at the Accra Sports Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
Ghana started the game brightly making early incursions to the Gabonese vital area. Kwabena Owusu had the first clear chance of the game in the fourth minute but his effort from close range went wide.
Poor defensive work by Zakaria nearly gifted the Gabonese the opener but Meteors Goalkeeper Kwame Baah pulled a superb save from Babicka shavi to keep Ghana in the Game.
In a split second, Kwabena Owusu also went solo on the left flank after being beautifully played through. He turned his marker inside out but his swerving effort was saved by goalkeeper Apaya Ngouegne.
The Meteors opened the scoring in the 16th minute after Kwabena Owusu excellently curled the ball to the left corner of the net after being superbly set up by Osman Bukari.
Two minutes later, Joseph Paintsil was played through but with Benjamin Tetteh in a better position to score, the winger selfishly went for personal glory and his effort was saved.
The game was gaining momentum with Ghana dictating the pace of the game. Benjamin Tetteh found space on the right wing and delivered a superb cross to Musah Nuhu but with the yawning net at his disposal, the defender just tapped the ball off target to the dismay of the supporters.
The Gabonese came strongly in the game with danger man Babicka Shavi hitting the wood work after the Ghana back four failed to clear their lines.
Despite the late scare from the Gabonese, Ghana finished the first half with their lead intact.
Bernard Tekpertey replaced Benjamin Tetteh just after the break as Ibrahim Tanko decided to play one top.
The Paderborn FC winger netted Ghana’s second goal with his first touch of the game as he hit a pile driver inside the box after cutting back.
The Gabonese recoiled to their shells and decided to hit the Meteors on the counter but it did not work out as Simon Zibo who played in the heart of midfield thwarted all their effort.
Ghana had the third goal through Osman Bukari in the 78th minute as the Slovakian-based attack hit the roof of the net with a sumptuous effort after going through the Gabonese backline.
Coach Ibrahim Tanko brought on Isaac Twum for Joseph Paintsil to stabilize the midfield and it worked to perfection as skipper Yaw Yeboah who was by far the best player on the field had more room to operate.
With just two minutes to end the game, Bukari completed a brace after pouncing on a loose ball and racing into the Gabonese penalty box to unleash a ferocious strike to make make it four for Ghana.
Richard Danso replaced Bukari in injury time as Ghana held on to a convincing 4-0 win.
By: Edmund Okai Gyimah
