Ghana Beat Trinidad & Tobago 2-1

The National Men Hockey team bounced back from their Monday afternoon baptism of fire at the hands of the Dutch to beat Trinidad and Tobago 2-1 in the ongoing 4-Nations Invitational in Eindhoven.

The Ghanaians came into the game as underdogs by virtue of their inferior ranking to the men from the Caribbean but showed no such inferiority as they outclassed their opponents in all departments of the game. Ghana is currently ranked 36th in the world while Trinidad and Tobago are up on number 23.

The game was fast and thrilling and the Ghanaians re-echoed that given opportunities, they could rub shoulders in high profile competitions. The team seem to have learnt a lot from their first match as cohesion and coordination improved markedly in this particular match. They carried the game to their opponents and scored through hardworking captain Ebenezer Frimpong from open play to end the first half 1-0.

The men from the Caribbean who arrived in the Netherlands much earlier, stepped up play and redeemed the goal through their lethal penalty corner expect to pull level. The Ghanaians responded with a great match-up and eventually clinched the game through swift winger Joseph Appiah from open play.

The team of coaches were pleased with the result but were quick to pick out their usual lessons for correction. Next in line for tomorrow afternoon at 16:00 hours is 47th Ranked Portugal.

The Women continued their preparation with a narrow 0-1 loss to the highly rated premier side and their hostess, Orange Zwart women in a game that saw a marked improvement in team play. The only goal from a penalty stroke, as usual, was conceded in the 5th minute when the Ghanaians had barely settled. The inability of the players to get themselves into the game cost them in defence as they failed to deal with the OZ initial onslaught.

The goal gingered the team and woke them up to the realities. They matched the Dutch premier side to the amazement of the team of Dutch coaches who were full of praise for the team. The coaches, who have offered to assist the team, are delighted to be part of the building of a potential African champion. The women, who are currently ranked second in Africa behind South Africa, continue their build up with practice matches and training sessions in the coming days.