Ghana vs Nigeria: The good, bad, ugly at the Kumasi stadium

MyNigeria Feature

Friday, March 25 witnessed the rebirth of one of the biggest and oldest rivalries of international football as Super Eagles of Nigeria faced longtime football foe, the Black Stars of Ghana.

The game at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium

Read full articlein Kumasi which was considered by many as one of the biggest for both teams saw the Black Stars host the Super Eagles in Ghana for the first time since 2001. That clash came under the same circumstance - a FIFA World Cup qualifier.

It came with its own high expectations as both countries have made it a usual habit to argue over some of the most unrelated issues including who prepares the best jollof or who speaks better English.

There is also a matter of the supremacy battle on who is better in entertainment (music & arts), sports, politics. These battles transcend the birth of the writer and most young adults.

In football, the first of 56 meetings between Nigeria and Ghana was in 1960 when Nigeria made its first attempt to qualify for the World Cup. The game ended in a 4-1 defeat for the Green Eagles as they were called, according to GOAL.com.

Goals from Edward Acquah, Edward Boateng, Aggrey and Mohamadu Salisu ensured the Green Eagles had to wait another four years before featuring in the continental show piece. Nigeria’s only goal was scored by Dejo Fayemi.

There have been several other iconic meetings between these countries, however, the 2001 World Cup qualifying game ahead of the FIFA World Cup tournament in Korea and Japan gave a semblance of what fans witnessed at the Baba Yara Stadium.

A tensed atmosphere, subtle jabs thrown between fans, player comparison and hostilities just to mention a few characterized the games especially the first leg in Accra, said a fan who was at the stadium in 2001 said in a WhatsApp chat.

Despite all these, the Super Eagles qualified for the tournament after the return leg at the Liberation Stadium - Port Harcourt ended by three goals to nil. Two goals from Tijani Babangida and another from Victor Ighali cemented Nigeria’s place in the tournament.

The first leg staged at the Accra Sports Stadium ended 0-0.

Another game, many won’t forget anytime soon, was the one on a bitter February night at Griffin Park in 2007. A Sulley Muntari and Junior Agogo strike between the 50th and 60th minutes - less than 10 minutes condemned Nigeria to a 4-1 defeat. The game was delayed for some time after a pitch invasion.

While Ghana have won 25 of the games between both teams, Nigeria have won on 12 occasions, 19 of those ended in draws.

As fans prepare for the second leg at the Moshood Abiola (MKO) Stadium, below are the biggest talking points from the first leg clash at the Baba Yara Stadium

Over flow at the Baba Yara Stadium

The Baba Yara stadium is the biggest stadium in Ghana with over 40,000 seating capacity. It is slightly bigger than the Accra Sports Stadium. The stadium located in the heart of Kumasi, the capital of the Ashanti Region has become iconic to impressive performances from the Black Stars - yesterday was no different.

Many including this writer believed the Black Stars had lost their goodwill and the support of fans especially “fanatics” in that city. But the story was different as a mammoth crowd stormed the last training session of the team on the evening of Thursday, March 24.

It is believed that the viral video posted on the official social media handles of the Ghana Football Association of fans in high spirit, urging the team to enjoy the game, was key in changing the mindset of the team. Psychologically, the team's belief and euphoria changed not only in camp but country-wide.

Of all the boxes Augustine Eguavoen would have ticked in anticipation of the game, he never would have expected the euphoria in the Black Stars camp would change in the light of their terrible showing at the just ended African Cup of Nations in Cameroon.

Just a reminder that the last time the Black Stars played in a World Cup qualifiers was in 2013 when they defeated the Pharoahs of Egypt by 6-1. The showing remains one of the shocks of any FIFA World Cup qualifier.

Four fans collapsed during the game

As was reported by this writer from the stadium, four Ghanaian fans collapsed on separate occasions before the end of the 90 minutes. As fans trickled in, the first incident occurred when members of the Black Stars team observed their first warm up before the game.

The fans who were excited to see their national team idols upclose ran toward the barricade guarding the pitch from the stands to have a glimpse. It can be likened it to a mini stampede.

The second incident happened as the Super Eagles took turns to warm-up. The third and fourth incidents happened during the game. The Red Cross were hands-on all through to avoid any casualties. The state of these fans couldn’t be confirmed by MyNigeria at the time of filing this report.



Penalty Decision (right or wrong?)

The controversial decision by Moroccan referee Rédouane Jiyed to rescind a penalty decision he had granted the Super Eagles after a quick consult with Video Assisted Referee(VAR) is likely one of the biggest talking points of the game.

The 75th minute ‘foul or no foul’ depending on where you are reading this article from might just have made the second leg even more important and highly anticipated than the first.

The decision by defensive midfielder, Muhammad Salisu, to fall and handle the ball in the box after Kelechi Iheanacho and Oghenekaro Etebo closed in on him remains a contentious issue. Fans have waded into the discussion which is likely not to end anytime soon.

While the Nigerian fans who came to the Baba Yara Stadium expecting the Super Eagles to nick one over the Black Stars will be left disappointed as their only chance to get clear at goal was “stolen” from them, fans of the Black Stars remain consistent in their argument that VAR was correct in spotting the foul from Iheanacho.

A Nigerian fan who spoke to Novieku Babatunde Adeola said after the game: “I think that the penalty that was disqualified wasn’t fair to the Super Eagles.” Another one added angrily: “That was real robbery but that’s fine. We in Kumasi are very angry.”

This only makes the second leg tie in Abuja in 48-hours an all-die-be-die clash.

Muhammad Kudus (Wonderkid)

“Ghana has a new star in Mohammed Kudus. What a talent. Great future ahead of him.” Those were the words of John Bennet, an award winning international journalist with the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) in a tweet after the game. The broadcaster who was in Ghana to cover the first leg of the crucial game hailed the influence of the young Ajax star in the game.

His abilities and trickery on the ball combined with his pace, strength and swiftness makes him the ideal pick for games of this nature.

Despite only recovering from a rib injury that ruled him out of the recently concluded African Cup of Nations (AFCON), the 21-year-old showed why he was a big miss for his country in the tournament. His forward pressing game anytime he picked the ball from the middle was enough to wear-off Joe Aribo and Innocent Bonke.

No doubt, he is the perfect man to compliment Arsenal star Thomas Partey in Ghana’s midfield.



Lack of internet connectivity for press coverage

The lack of internet connectivity at the press box of the Baba Yara Stadium again highlighted the unpreparedness of Ghana to sufficiently tick all the boxes as it concerns their stadium's ability to host CAF/FIFA standard games.

Pressmen who travelled from across the globe to cover and give exclusive reports on the game could only enjoy the game like every other fan. With the National Sports Authority of Ghana (NSA) allocating more than 500 media accreditations to media men and women, television viewers missed the real time report and the euphoria that accompany games of this magnitude.

Colleagues working with some local media platforms said this challenge has persisted for years during big games.

Super Eagles booed

The unnecessary delay of Super Eagles at the stadium didn’t go down well with supporters of the home team and they expressly made it clear as they booed the team when they trotted out of the dressing room to the pitch to warm-up.

The intensity of the fans is believed to have had an implication on the psyche and moral of the team before kick-off.

This article was written by Novieku Babatunde Adeola - Sub-Editor (MyNigeria.com) from Kumasi, Ashanti Region - Ghana