Mohammed Kudus shone brightest as Ghana drew 1-1 against South Africa to book their ticket at the 2022 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) tournament, set to be hosted in Cameroon next year.
In a game that Ghana largely struggled in possession, the 20 year old midfielder once again proved he can be relied upon to come up with the goods when the going gets tough.
Here is how FootballMadeInGhana rated the performance on the Black Stars players in Johannesburg:
16. Razak Abalora– 7: The Asante Kotoko shot stopper produced two stunning saves in the first half to keep the Black Stars in the game. Despite his poor distributions with his feet the goalie stood up tall when it mattered. Can’t fault him for the goal he conceded.
2. Benson Annan- 7 Recovered from his nervy start to put up more than a decent display on his debut. The young full back never lacked enterprise even when things weren’t going his way. Capped his performance by providing the assist for Ghana’s only goal.
17. Baba Abdul Rahman- 4.5: Suspect all game and was Ghana’s weakest link in defense. Didn’t particularly defend well and didn’t deliver the goods going forward.
4. Nicholas Opoku- 6: Pretty decent game. Grew in confidence as the match went by and made his experience count when the team was under pressure.
28. Ismail Ganiyu- 8: Colossal! The Asante Kotoko guardsman barely put a foot wrong on his first start for the senior national team. He completely bossed the second half and produced a last ditch tackle to deny what would’ve certainly been a South Africa winner late in the game.
6. Afriyie Acquah- 6: Did not do too much wrong but wasn’t his best of games. Struggled alongside Wakaso to stop Bafana Bafana from getting into their passing rhythm.
11.Mubarak Wakaso-6: Like his midfield partner, the captain also didn’t have the best of days, He was uncharacteristically sloppy in possession but his intensity and presence was felt throughout the game.
20. Mohammed Kudus- 8.5 : Ghana’s best player by far and the Ajax ace is here to stay! Kept the ball well in tight spaces with his impressive dribbling ability and was behind everything good the Black Stars produced. Scored the crucial goal that secured qualification.
16.Kwame Opoku- 4: A debut to forget for the former Asante Kotoko marksman. Barely had a kick and was hauled off at half-time. Perhaps playing him in an unfamiliar left-wing role affected his output? Better days ahead for the talented goal poacher
25. Emmanuel Gyasi-5: The Spezia attacker started on the right wing before he was moved to centre forward later in the game. Didn’t have the desired impact in both roles before he was eventually substituted in the 90th minute.
13. Caleb Ekuban- 5: The centre-forward had to feed of scraps and as result struggled to make a meaningful impact. He was substituted in the 73rd minute.
SUBS:
Osman Bukari- 4.5: Brought in at the start of the second half for the struggling Kwame Opoku but the Gent winger also failed to glitter.
Emmanuel Lomotey- 5: Kept things tidy after coming on as replacement for Caleb Ekuban.
Emmanuel Boateng- N/A:
