Match Report: Russia Pip Ghana In Friendly (Photos)

The Golden Eagles of Russia beat the Black Stars of Ghana by a goal to nil at the Lokomotiv Stadium.

Russia dominated play in the first 20 minutes of the game, and deservedly went ahead after FC Krasnodar forward, Fedor Smolov, put the ball at the back of the net after hitting a shot in between the legs of Ghana goalkeeper Adam Kwarasey.

Ghana, after conceding the goal, came back very strongly as winger, Christian Atsu curly rattled the crossbar after Russia goalkeeper, Igor Akinfeev was left clueless.

Ghana should have equalized in the 44th minute, but Harrison Afful’s shot missed the goal post by inches, ending the first half with a positive response.

The early part of the second half saw combative midfielder, Agyemang Badu replacing Thomas Partey, as the Black Stars were very dominant in the midfield area, but final delivery was very poor.

Russia would have extended their lead in the 70th minute when goalkeeper, Kwarasey, misjudged an air ball which was cleared off the line by Ghana defender, John Boye.

A very bad clearance from John Boye saw a counter attack by the Russian side from which striker, Igor Akinfeev’s sliding shot was cleared by Boye to his own relief.

Coach Avram Grant introduced Alfred Duncan and David Accam with about 15 minutes to end the game, which saw relentless pressure being mounted on the Russian defense. A fantastic cross by Baba Rahman was struck very well by Christian Astu but the Russia goalkeeper came to the rescue.

The four minutes added by the Referee was not enough to stage a come back for the Black Stars of Ghana as the lost match in a very fascinating game.

 

 

 

Match Report: Russia Pip Ghana In Friendly (Photos)

Post-AQ: Why Politicians Should Not "Interfere" In Ghana Football

The once glamorous flagship brand of Ghana, the Black Stars, has surprisingly become a ‘problem child’ that many have not fancied being associated with in the past two years [after a disappointing 2014 World Cup campaign in Brazil]. This perception was once again reinforced by the poor fan turn-out at Saturday’s Afcon qualifier (AQ) against Rwanda in Accra.

A brewing romance between two ‘lovers’; the Ghana Football Association (GFA) and the Ministry of Youth and Sports (MoYS) has broken down because of lack of cordial working relations between the two institutions.

Once upon a time, Ghana’s [Black Stars] participation in various world or continental football tournaments, helped bridge political and social differences, while improving the economic welfare of the country.

Gyan scored Ghana’s first World Cup goal in 2006

But recent happenings within/around the team has threatened to scrape off the ‘blessing’ bit of the national brand’s existence, turning it into a ‘curse’ instead.

Many now hold [or have been made to] the impression that, the brand is draining national coffers, much to the detriment of other sports disciplines.

The Blacks Stars has become a tool of political manipulation, with some members of the two main political parties – the opposition New Patriotic Party and the incumbent National Democratic Congress – lambasting each other, at the least opportunity and, when it suits either party, over the brand’s management.

Now, I ask; do we, as a people, know the implications of the incessant crossfire if relations should deteriorate?

Or, was the setting up of the Presidential Commission, post-Brazil 2014, the root cause of the brand’s present unattractiveness?

Again, could the actions/inactions of politicians cause Ghana to be banned?

The answers to the aforementioned, I believe, lies in the following; that, the earlier the GFA and the MoYS reignited their ‘love affair’ the better it would be for all stakeholders involved.

Some blame may go to the team, but majority of Ghanaian football fans would not forgive them (GFA and MoYS) if the Black Stars extends the country’s 34-year trophy -less jinx at the 2017 Afcon. For me as a young journalist, who has not seen Ghana win a trophy, the Black Stars’ inability to annex next year’s Afcon trophy, makes our [possible] fourth successive appearance at the FIFA World Cup meaningless.

With Ghana’s opponents for the World Cup qualifiers busily fine-tuning ahead of the qualifiers next month, our (Ghana’s) inability to ‘find’ money to send scouts to match venues to monitor them is inconceivable. ‘I just can’t think far’ and I know you also can’t possibly identify any logical reasoning as being behind these recent happenings.

The draw on Saturday against the Amavubi of Rwanda in the last round of matches of the 2017 CAF Afcon qualifiers is just a reminder of the challenging times ahead of us, as the soul of the nation has been taken to the cleaners.

I hope one day, my script wouldn’t be used as a term of reference when finally, ‘things fall apart’, because we cannot afford to miss out on this global football fiesta in Russia come 2018.

Let’s wake from our slumber and face reality, let’s all put personal egos aside and work towards a common goal

Post-AQ: Why Politicians Should Not "Interfere" In Ghana Football

Afcon Qualifier : Rwanda Set To Arrive Today

The Amavubi of Rwanda are due to arrive today at the Kotoka International Airport, ahead of their final Group H AFCON qualifier against Ghana at the Accra Sports Stadium on Saturday, September 3,2016.
 

Interim Rwanda coach, Jimmy Mulisa, has selected 18 players out of the 23 he initially selected and they are scheduled to train tomorrow at the Accra Sports stadium at noon.

Despite being out of contention for a place in the 2017 Africa Nations Cup finals in Gabon, the Amavubi would be aiming for a win against the Black Stars, in order to improve their FIFA rankings; in which they are currently ranked 121st.

The Black Stars lead Group H with 13 points, having already booked a place in the finals of the tournament, while Rwanda, despite those two defeats, remain in second place with six points, level with Mauritius, who would host bottom-placed Mozambique (4 points).

Afcon Qualifier : Rwanda Set To Arrive Today

AFCON 2017 : Rwanda Intensify Preparation Ahead of Ghana Clash

The Amavubi of Rwanda have stepped up their preparations for the 2017 Africa Cup Nations final Group H qualifier against Ghana, which is scheduled for September 3, 2016 at the Accra Sports Stadium.

Newly-appointed head coach Jimmy Mulisa, has called-up seven young players to his squad with the aim of revamping the national team for the future.

Their national team, yesterday moved to the Amahoro National Stadium(natural grass) after starting training last Wednesday at Kigali Regional Stadium(artificial grass), in case of any venue change.

Despite being out of contention for a place in the 2017 Africa Nations Cup finals in Gabon, the Amavubi would be aiming for a win against the Black Stars in order to improve their FIFA rankings; in which they are currently ranked 121st.

The Black Stars lead Group H with 13 points, having already booked a place to the finals of the tournament while Rwanda, despite those two defeats, remain in second place with six points, level with Mauritius, who would host bottom-placed Mozambique (4 points) also on September 3, 2016.

AFCON 2017 : Rwanda Intensify Preparation Ahead of Ghana Clash