The Black Stars shockingly gave up a 2-goal lead to allow the Mambas of Mozambique to draw 2-2 in the final Group B game at the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations.
Two penalties from Jordan Ayew in each half of the game gave Ghana the 2-0 lead but Mozambique pressed on till the blast of the final whistle.
Their effort was rewarded with two goals, both from set pieces, one from the spot and the second from a corner kick.
They earned a point.
This is the rating of the Black Stars players who represented the nation in the game:
Richard Ofori – 5: The Orlando Pirates goalkeeper came to the rescue of the Black Stars but he lost concentration in the final minutes, unnecessarily conceding that corner kick that resulted in the equaliser.
Denis Odoi – 4: The Belgium-based defender stopped the opposition in their attacks. He also joined the attack when necessary. There is room for improvement in the next competition for the Stars.
Gideon Mensah – 6: The Auxerre man gave a good account of himself. Though his crosses have been missing in the matches he has played in La Côte d’Ivoire, he has held the team down on a number of occasions. He was good in the air and timely with his tackles.
Alexander Djiku – 5: The big defender was average on the day. It may be because there were no major threats from the Mambas during the game. As he has come to be known, perhaps, an extraordinary performance was expected from him.
Mohammed Salisu – 5: The Monaco defender shared the same rating as his defensive partner and was also average on the day. He was strong with his tackles and his aerial ability was good.
Samed Abdul Salis – 4: The Lens midfielder was relatively silent. He was at his normal pace – won tackles and was dispossessed during the game. Maybe, fatigue set in for him too early.
Joseph Paintsil – 6: Starting his second game at the tournament, the Belgium-based striker’s 45 minutes produced the first goal. His run at the Mozambican defence resulted in the penalty. A lot more was expected from him but he was subbed at half-time by Chris Hughton.
Ashimeru Majeed – 4: Injury in the Egypt game may have affected the Anderlecht midfielder. He came good on a number of occasions but aside the caution he got, he had to be subbed due to another unforced injury.
Mohammed Kudus – 7: Kudus was named the Man of the Match but not a performance close to the previous one. However, special players produce special moments and it was one of his strikes that resulted in the second penalty.
Jordan Ayew – 8: Ayew’s experience came to bear on the pitch. Indeed, he broke his goal-scoring drought with the two penalties. He tracked back to help the defence and perhaps had the most dribbles. It was a good day for the Crystal Palace man.
Antoine Semanyo – 5: The striker worked hard but appeared frustrated by the Libyan referee’s calls. He controlled the ball well but aside his early minute strike, which was tipped off the bar, Semenyo did not make any goal attempt.
Andre Dede – 1: The captain came on in the second half with some energy. But his best could not produce any good thing for the team. He was Yellow carded and conceded a penalty after his outstretched arm was hit with the ball in the penalty area.
Alidu Seidu – 2: The right back enjoyed his first few minutes of the tournament but not what he may have expected. Ghana were leading but drew when he, together with the other substitutes, were brought in.
Inaki Williams – 1: Not a tournament to wish for for the Athletic Bilbao striker. He had just been minutes on the pitch when the equalizer came. He, together with the entire team, may have been gutted by the equalizer.
Daniel Amartey – 1: His role was not clearly seen as the two central defenders were still in the team when he came on. He, therefore, came to add to the defence and still Ghana conceded two goals. This means his role was zilch.
Coach Chris Hughton – 1: This is a special rating of the coach. He got his tactics in the final stages wrong and totally inaccurate. Subbing Paintsil with Andre Ayew was with no technical backing as the Genk striker got us the penalty. He has since accepted responsibility for the team’s performance.
