Ghana's Black Galaxies had the better of their Nigerian counterparts in the first leg of the 2023 Championship of African Nations qualifiers.
The Galaxies defeated the CHAN Eagles 2-0 in the first leg of the final qualifiers on Sunday, August 28, 2022, at Cap Coast Stadium.
Following the victory, Ghana is now on the verge
Read full articleof qualifying for the CHAN tournament for the first time since 2014.
With the return leg set for Nigeria in a week's time, here are five things we learnt from the important win for the Black Galaxies.
Annor Walker's tactics
Annor Walker used his tactical acumen to turn the game in his favour with a quick substitution.
Nigeria were a shade better than Ghana in the majority part of the first half after clipping Ghana's reliable wingers, particularly Evans Owusu.
Walker reacted quickly by replacing Owusu with an attacking midfielder, David Abagna. Ghana, instead of constantly building through the flanks, made good use of their midfield overload as a result of the change.
Annor Walker won the tactical battle, as evidenced by the score.
Daniel Afriyie is a big game player
Hearts of Oak striker, Daniel Afriyie Barnieh turned up again for the Black Stars Galaxies as he calmly converted a spot kick in the win.
The goal takes his tally in the qualifies to three in three games. He appears to be the life wire for the team.
Danlad Ibrahim safest pair of hands
Asante Kotoko goalkeeper Danlad Ibrahim was not put to the test much during the game, but when he was, he made sure he was up to the task.
During the game, he made an outstanding point-blank save, showing good reflexes to deny Nigeria a crucial away goal.
Mohammed Alhassan and Konadu Yiadom
Ghana's centre-air of Mohammed Alhassan and Konadu Yiadom is turning out to be the best pair for Annor Walker. They are yet to concede in the qualifiers and have kept three clean sheets in a row.
They complement one another. Konadu's aggressiveness mostly serves as a shield for Alhassan, a smooth operator who also enjoys moving the ball.
Together, they nullified many of Nigeria's attacks and walked away with yet another clean sheet.
Team bonding
Team bonding has been a major highlight in Ghana's games throughout the qualifiers. The teamwork and together are practically identical on the team's play.
When a goal is scored, the entire team celebrates together, and they also encourage one another when a mistake is made.
In yesterday's game, Abanga had a chance to find Afriyie Barnieh but chose to go for glory instead, and the ball went just over the bar. Barnieh dashed over to Abagna, who looked disappointed, to cheer him up.
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