The Black Stars lost to Portugal in a five-goal thriller on Thursday but which of the players performed better and poorly?
Ghana narrowly lost 3-2 to Portugal in the opening game of Group H of 2022 Fifa World Cup in Qatar on Thursday.
Although, the Black Stars scored two goals in the second half, it wasn’t enough to stop Portugal led by Cristiano Ronaldo to pick all the points at stake.
After the game, journalist Akyereko Frimpong Manso has put together his ratings of Ghanaian players and has highlighted the good, bad and ugly.
Lawrence Ati Zigi – 5.7/10
He prevented Cristiano Ronaldo from scoring the opening goal of the game in the first-half as he rushed off his line to close the space available to the ex-Manchester United man. Out of the 13 long balls he passed into the middle only 6 found his teammates.
Alidu Seidu – 7.2/10
The Clermont Foot defender kept Joao Felix quiet for most parts of the game and was able to do the same when Otavio switched to his side of defence. Inside the 51st minute, he went past his marker to deliver a good cross into the box.
Baba Rahman – 5.5/10
He was a workaholic and impressive in the left-back role as he limited the chances of the Portuguese attack. Assisted Osman Bukari to score the second goal. However, he got 50 touches of the ball in 90 minutes. The Reading man offered 5 long ball passes with only 2 finding the target man.
Alexander Djiku – 6.5/10
Djiku made one tackle, two interceptions, and 4 crucial clearances. He passed the ball 26 times with an accuracy rate of 84.6%. He helped to keep the Black Stars’ backline compact until the goals started coming in thick and fast in the last 25 minutes of the game.
Daniel Amartey – 6.4/10
The Leicester City man provided two key passes, 51 passes with 84.3 % passing accuracy with 6 long balls delivered into enemy territory. He made 2 tackles, 6 clearances, and blocked 1 shot. Not a bad game for the 27-year-old.
Mohammed Salisu – 5.9/10
Not a bad game from the Southampton man as he made two vital interceptions and 2 clearances. His foul on Cristiano Ronaldo resulted in a penalty that was converted inside the 65th-minute mark for Ghana’s opening goal. He committed 3 fouls and was dispossessed off the ball once in a vital zone. He passed the ball 47 times with an accuracy rate of 68.1 %.
Thomas Teye Partey – 5.9/10
Not one of the best games for the Arsenal midfielder even though he gave 2 key passes out of a total of 55 he delivered from central midfield. He went into 4 tackles and blocked one shot in a vital zone. He got 68 touches of the ball and won 1 aerial duel. On three occasions, he poorly controlled the ball which summarised his underwhelming performance of the night.
Abdul-Samed Salis – 6.35/10
A total of 54 touches for the Lens midfield fan belt and a passing accuracy of 94 % – the highest by any Ghanaian player who started the game. Playing in a double pivot role with Partey, the 22-year-old made 1 interception and 1 clearance and passed the ball 50 times, and found his target man 47 times. He offered very little in attack and was dispossessed off the ball once.
Mohammed Kudus – 7.7/10
Ghana’s best performer in the game. He attempted two shots with 1 on target and provided Andre Ayew with the assist to level the scoring for Ghana. He touched the ball 41 times. He also completed four dribbles – the highest by any player on the Stadium 974 field. He offered three crosses into enemy territory and made one tackle. Otto Addo’s decision to substitute him on the 76th-minute mark left many surprised.
Andre Ayew – 7.1/10
The skipper touched the ball just 24 times in the 76 minutes he lasted but still managed to get his name on the score sheet with the leveller for Ghana inside the 73rd minute. He took just 1 shot and it got on target. He also won 1 aerial duel and was fouled three times. The Al-Sadd man passed the ball 12 times and it was only on two occasions that his intended pass went to the wrong man. He scored his 24th goal in 111 appearances for Ghana.
Inaki Williams – 6.1/10
Once again the Athletic Bilbao man failed to get a shot on target despite touching the ball 28 times, which was the lowest by any of the full-timers on the field. He was fouled twice and was dispossessed off the ball three times by the Portuguese defence and had two awful controls. He passed the ball 17 times with an 82.4 % passing accuracy. He should have scored the leveller for Ghana in the dying embers of the game.
SUBSTITUTES
Jordan Ayew – 5.1/10
Daniel-Kofi Kyereh – 5/10
Tariq Lamptey – 5.7/10
Osman Bukari – 6.2/10
Antoine Semenyo – 5/10
The Black Stars will now turn attention to South Korea whom they will face on November 28 and Uruguay on December 2.