Sports News of Thursday, 6 January 2022
Source: www.ghanaweb.live
2022-01-06Winners and losers from Ghana's humiliation against Algeria
Black Stars player, Fatawu Issahaku
The Black Stars were humiliated by the Desert Foxes of Algeria in a friendly match that was played on Wednesday.
The Algerians opened their goal scoring account through Napoli winger Adam Ounas in the 8th minute before Columbus Crew captain Jonathan Mensah conceded an own
Read full articlegoal to double Algeria’s advantage in the 74th minute.
Five minutes later after the Algerians made it 3-0 following a goalkeeping howler from substitute Lawrence Ati-Zigi.
Despite the defeat there were some players whose performance were worthy of calling ‘Winners’ in the face of defeat whiles some others were just atrocious on the day.
Below are some of the Winners and Losers from Ghana’s 3-0 lost to Algeria.
WINNERS
Fatawu Issahaku
The 17-year-old was an epitome of maturity in the game as he orchestrated the best chances for the Black Stars.
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Deployed on the right flank, created enough chances in the game and came close to scoring on a number of occasions.
The U-20 AFCON winner manage to create space on his own to shoot at goal but his shots often lacked the right accuracy to struck the net.
It was unfortunate that Fatawu Issahaku had to be pulled out of the game due to injury but hopefully he returns before Ghana’s first game against Morocco at the AFCON.
Joseph Paintsil
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Having been left out of the Black Stars squad since 2017 it was a delight to see the winger have much control of his position.
Paintsil was a threat to the Atlas Lions as he won a number of set pieces in the game and often created chances which could have materialized in a goal.
With the availability of Paintsil the left wings will now be competitive ahead of the AFCON as Kamaldeen has already cemented his place in the starting line-up.
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Edmund Addo
Despite earning his recognition with impressive performances for Sheriff Tiraspol in the UEFA Champions League, many believed it was too early for Addo to earn a place in the Black Stars squad for AFCON.
However, in Wednesday’s friendly match, the midfielder distinguished why he deserves a place in the team.
Addo’s partnership with Partey was good considering that the Arsenal star had only been in camp for just a day prior to the game but the duo were able to put up a good partnership.
Addo was very conscious in his tackles and avoided being booked for his offences.
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Thomas Partey
Despite not scoring a goal as he has always done as captain of the Black Stars, Partey was descent against Algeria.
The Arsenal star was more progressive with the ball and shot at goal when he found the right space.
His leadership on the pitch wasn’t loud but was able to motivate the players in the face of defeat.
Losers
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Manaf Nurudeen
In his first starting game for the Black Stars, Manaf’s performance was abysmal.
The former Ghana U-20 goalkeeper made a school-boy mistake for the first goal in the 8th minute.
The game against Algeria was a justifier to determine who becomes the number one shot stopper for Ghana.
However, following, the pale performance of Manaf it is obvious Jojo Wollacott will be in post for the AFCON.
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Gideon Mensah
For a player who was part of the 2019 AFCON team a lot was expected from Gideon Mensah ahead of the 2021 AFCON.
All three goals Ghana conceded in the game came through the left back’s position who failed to intercept his opponents before they made way into the box.
Gideon Mensah was just unlucky in the game and was a pale shadow of himself.
Jonathan Mensah
In an attempt to clear the ball, the Columbus Crew put the ball behind his own net.
For the second time, Mensah’s pairing with Alexander Djiku was off as the duo failed to hold the defense and ended up conceding three goals.
Lawrence Ati-Zigi
The 25-year-old was introduced in the second half but ended up conceding 2 goals.
Many believe he would have conceded more if he had been in post from the first half.
A goalkeeping howler from Ati-Zigi saw the Algerians scoring their 3rd goal in the game.
His poor performance has been condemned by many.
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Boakye-Yiadom and Benjamin Tetteh
The two strikers failed to glitter in the game as they were unable to utilize the few chances in the game to score a goal.
Having declared his intention to have an impact in the Black Stars like Asamaoh Gyan, Boakye-Yiadom was unable to bring on his magic.
The Israeli based player was subbed for Benjamin Tetteh who was unable to contribute much to Ghana’s attack.
