Atsu & Opare played a role in joining FC Porto, Waris reveals

Abdul Majeed Waris has revealed that countrymen Christian Atsu and Daniel Opare who previously featured for FC Porto advised him to join the club, amid several offers on his table.

The 26-year-old signed a season-long contract with the Dragons with an option of making the deal permanent which will cost the Estadio Dragao side £6 million.

“I’m not here for personal glory. I am very happy and ready to give everything I have so that the club can succeed and win trophies,” Waris told Porto Canal.

“It is probably the club in which my dreams can come true, to play in a top league and in the Uefa Champions League. I talked to some friends, Christian Atsu and Opare, who had been here before. They helped me decide to come here,” he added.

Waris praised Aboubakar, Marega and Brahimi and believes he will team up with them easily upfront since they have have similar qualities.

“They are fantastic players, they pretty much score all the time. I am also here to help the team score more goals and win. We can probably score a few more goals together. That is the most important thing, not who scores, but that we do it together.

“I think I can match well with them, because they have an offensive mentality, which I also have. It’s a matter of understanding each other and working together”.

Majeed Waris joins FC Porto on loan

The Ghanaian has joined the Dragons until next season after a failed move to England

Ghana striker Abdul Majeed Waris has completed a season-long move to Portuguese top-flight FC Porto from French Ligue 2 side Lorient, with an option of making the deal a permanent, the two clubs have confirmed.

The 26-year-old has been pushing for a move away from France after falling down the pecking order and reports suggested earlier that Premier League sides West Ham, Swansea City and Bournemouth had expressed interest in his services.

However, he has opted to join the Portuguese side after being promised first team action.

After making 31 appearances and scoring nine goals for Lorient last season in Ligue 1, they couldn’t survive the relegation scares but his form has dipped and could only boasts of six appearances in the second-tier including four starts and has one goal under his belt this season.

Waris will be hoping to make his Porto move count since he has been recently overlooked by head coach Kwesi Appiah as he has scored four goals in 22 appearances for Ghana since making his debut in 2012.

He was touted as one of the brightest talents to replace captain Asamoah Gyan who is at the twilight of his career.

Hans Kwofie marks Smouha debut in a defeat to Tanta FC

The Ghanaian forward came off the bench as he marked his debut game but failed to prevent the Blues from losing their first game in 2018

Ghana Premier League goal king Hans Kwofie finally played his debut game for Smouha SC in their 1-0 defeat to Tanta FC in the Egyptian Premier League on Friday at the Tanta Sports Stadium.

The 28-year-old joined the Blues from Ashanti Gold in a deal which is expected to run through to 2021 but had to wait and be cleared by the football association before he made his bow.

Seifeddine Jaziri gave Tanta the lead which proved to be the match-winner by the 43rd minute after he curled his free-kick through a human wall.

Kwofie had the brightest opportunity to draw Smouha level by the 79th minute, when he was played through by a teammate but the Ghanaian miscalculated the ball and couldn’t find a great touch.

Countryman Augustine Okrah was handed his first start for the club after scoring a screamer on his debut but he failed to replicate that feat and was substituted in the second half of the game.

Tanta brought on another Ghanaian in the shape of Joseph Ato Bissah by the 82nd minute and, he defended brilliantly as well as helped in quick counter attacks.

However, former Berekum Chelsea striker Stephen Sarfo was not named in the matchday squad and will have to wait for his turn.

AshesGyamera understands that the coach wants to work on his fitness and speed before unleashing him as he plans to bring the Ghanaians into his setup one after the other.

Gyan allegedly kills mother over missing memory card

The teenager is in the Police custody after allegedly murdering his mother following a missing memory card

A 17-year-old Junior High School pupil, Emmanuel Gyan is in police custody for allegedly killing his own mother over his missing mobile phone memory card.
Gyan is said to have hit his 52-year-old mother, Faustina Agyeiwaa several times in the head with a pestle until she fell down, and thereafter he followed up with naked flames in attempts to burn her.
The incident is said to have happened at Wassa J.Y No.1. in the Sefwi Wiawso district on Monday, January 15.
The Sefwi Wiawso police who are holding the murder suspect, told Graphic Online that Gyan was arrested and brought to the station by his own father, Isaac Somuah, aged 58, assisted by one stephen Amponsah.

Somuah and Amponsah told the police that Gyan had accused his mother of taking his memory card, which the mother denied. They said Emmanuel became furious and started attacking the mother with a pestle by hitting her on the head several times until she died on the spot.

Her body has since been deposited at the Bibiani government hospital mortuary awaiting autopsy.

 

_Graphic

Ebony should pray Charter House don’t nominate me for 2017 VGMA, says Shatta Wale

Ghana’s hottest ‘commodity’ in music currently, Shatta Wale, has advised new sensation Ebony to pray without stopping in order to win the 2017 Ghana Music Awards’ Artist of the Year accolade.

According to Shatta Wale, if his pending case against the award organisers is settled, there is no way Ebony will be crowned artist of the year despite her incredible hard work in the year under review.

Ebony started 2017 with hit song Kupe, before she released Sponsor, Date your Fada and Maame Hwe, which is doing very well in the new year.

“Ebony is my girl and I really love her and what she is doing but as for the artiste of the year, unless they don’t nominate me,” Shatta told Okay FM.
“It will be the only reason before she can win. So she should just pray they don’t nominate me,” he added.

Shatta Wale beat Ebony to win the People’s Celebrity Award artiste of the year in 2017 last month, with his hit songs, Taking Over, Forgetti, Ayoo, Hossana, Umbrella and Freedom.

Shatta won the 2014 edition of the VGMA but has since been ban from the event following a feud between him and the organisers, resulting into verbal attacks.

I’ve been unlucky with ‘situations’ in Turkey, says Asamoah Gyan

The Black Stars skipper hopes to have an improved performance in the second half of the Turkish league after a slow start

Ghana captain Asamoah Gyan has admitted he has been ‘terrible’ this season after joining Turkish Super Lig side Kayserispor.

The 32-year-old has been struggling with injuries, making only five appearances and lasting 171 minutes with only a goal under his belt.

“I got [other] offers from Turkey before Kayserispor,” Gyan told Anadolu Agency .

“Over 20 managers called me. It was Kayserispor who convinced me.
“The first half of the season was unlucky for me but I’m working very hard for the second half.

“Our team did a very good job in the first half. We have a very good technical director, a good understanding of tactics [and] a very important place.”

“We have a great president. They have supported me since the day I arrived.
“What is important to me is not how you started, but how it ends. Some things are too early to talk about, let’s see how I finish, not how I began,” he added.

Gyan last scored a goal for Kayserispor in October against Fernebeche. He lasted 67 minutes in the 2-0 victory over Antalyaspor on Thursday after Silvestre Verela replaced him.

Kayserispor currently sit fifth on the log, tied with Besiktas on 30 points.

Hans Kwofie set to make Smouha SC debut in Egypt

The Ghanaian forward has been cleared and likely to feature for the Blue and Whites on Friday

Ghana Premier League goal king for 2016-17 season, Hans Kwofie, has been included in Smouha SC’s 18-man squad to play against Tanta FC in the Egyptian Premier League at the Tanta Sports Stadium on Friday.

The 28-year-old joined the Alexandria-based club in a three-and-half-year deal last month from Ashanti Gold alongside Stephen Sarfo and Augustine Okrah but, apart from the latter, the rest are yet to taste any action in the North African country.

Kwofie was included in the squad following an injury sustained by Hosam Hassan and Hamzi Zaki and he hopes to take his chance to command a starting place.

Okrah who scored a screamer on his debut for Smouha in the 4-0 drubbing of ENPPI has retained his place but Sarfo is yet to join the first team.

Tanta also have two Ghanaians in the shape of Dennis Tetteh and Joseph Ato Bissah in their setup

Smouha sit fifth on the log with 29 points, three points below the automatic qualification slot for Caf Confederations Cup next season.

FT: Dreams FC 0-0 (6-5 on pen.) Medeama: Believers setup final with Phobians

Ghana Premier League returnees Dreams FC defeated Medeama 6-5 on penalties after a goalless draw in regulation time to qualify to the final of the 2018 Ghalca G8 tournament on Thursday at the Cape Coast Sports Stadium.

The Still Believe out had a larger share of the exchanges in the first half of the game but couldn’t turn their possession into goals.

By the 22nd minute, Dreams thought they had taken the lead after Richard Addae was played through by his teammate but his lob failed to hit the back of the net.

Minutes later, Addae made amends to his earlier miss but he was rather unfortunate as the referee failed to award his effort as a legitimate goal. Sharani’s pass found Addae and the striker saw his shot hitting the underneath of the crossbar and crossing the goal line but referee Alex Nsiah and his assistants failed to see it from their angle.

The second half produced similar episodes like the first half, as few chances came the way of the two sides.

After a pulsating 90 minutes without any goal scored, the two clubs needed penalty to separate them and Dreams won 6-5.

They will square it off with Hearts of Oak on Sunday in the final, after the Phobians also defeated rivals Asante Kotoko 4-2 on penalties on Wednesday in Kumasi.

Jordan Ayew draws praise from Swansea coach Carvalhal

Swansea City coach Carlos Carvalhal has expressed his happiness following the recent rise in performance of Ghana striker Jordan Ayew.

The 26-year-old was on target in Swansea’s 2-1 victory over Championship log leaders Wolverhampton Wanderers in the third round of the FA Cup on Wednesday.

Ayews scored a brilliant goal on 11th minute after he went past five defenders. Substitute Jota equalised for Wolves in the second half but Wilfred Bony snatched the match-winner with a calm finish.

 

“In the five games I’ve been in charge, we’ve won two, drawn two and lost one. This was the best match we’ve played, especially in the first half and we posed Wolves lots of problems,” Carvalhal told the press after the game.

“We controlled the first 45 minutes, but after that the tempo was down. We let Wolves get a goal, but we got a second and then we closed the door and made it very difficult.

“It was a great goal from Jordan and he deserves it. He is a fighter and works very hard for the team.

“I’m proud of my players and now we are building confidence and momentum,” he added.

Ayew has scored seven goals in all competitions this season including four in the Premier League.

Swansea will face League Two promotion contenders Notts County in the next round of matches.

Neymar not angered by PSG boos after Cavani penalty snub, says Silva

The world’s most expensive player was whistled by his own fans after he showed a lack of generosity to his Uruguayan team-mate

Neymar was not angry despite being whistled by Paris Saint-Germain supporters during an 8-0 thrashing of Dijon, in which the Brazilian was in inspired form, according to club captain Thiago Silva.

The world’s most expensive player scored four goals as the Ligue 1 leaders ran riot on Wednesday , extending their advantage from nearest rivals Lyon to 11 points ahead of Sunday’s game between the two sides.
Neymar also provided a pair of assists in a glittering individual performance, but he was involved in another on-pitch disagreement with strike partner Edinson Cavani .

The Uruguayan headed in PSG’s third goal of the night to draw level with the club’s record goalscorer Zlatan Ibrahimovic on 156 in all competitions.

But when Cavani won a late penalty with the score at 7-0 and Neymar having already wrapped up his hat-trick, the former Barcelona man denied his colleague the chance to surpass Ibrahimovic.
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Neymar put on a show as he scored four goals in PSG’s 8-0 win over Dijon. pic.twitter.com/WaotwSzSRO — Goal (@goal) January 17, 2018

The Parc des Princes crowd chanted for Cavani to take the kick and Neymar was whistled after he stepped up to convert from 12 yards, but Silva insisted the Brazilian was unaffected by the reaction to his decision to take the penalty.
“No, I do not think he was angry when he left,” Silva told Canal+.
“There was some of the supporters against him, but the most important thing is the final score and the win.
“And for Edi, the record will come. He scores all the time, there are still a lot of games to play this year, he will beat all records.”
Unfortunately for PSG coach Unai Emery, his side’s thrilling demolition of Dijon was partly overshadowed by Neymar’s lack of generosity by denying Cavani his share of the spotlight, but the former Sevilla coach insists all is well in camp.
“Cavani, he is our goalscorer, he improved a lot, his individual statistics help the team and the team help him get his goals,” Emery said.
“Neymar hit the penalty kick and he [Cavani] will have other chances to score more goals. The team is better with Neymar. All wins and stats are made to benefit the whole team.”

Despite Neymar hogging the headlines again, Emery felt PSG’s performance was their best of the season so far, with the 8-0 scoreline their most emphatic victory of the Spaniard’s 18-month reign.
“We talk a lot about maintaining the level and the requirement to build a team with a strong mentality,” Emery said.
“With each match, we will seek the best performance to grow and improve when the most important matches will arrive.
“It is possible that it is the best game of PSG in the league this season, the team played together the whole game, the whole team shone.”

_Goal