The Porcupine Warriors brushed aside the lower division side in a friendly on Sunday as prepare to host Karela on Thursday
Asante Kotoko thumped lower division side Rainbow SC 3-0 in a friendly at the Adako Jachie training ground on Sunday morning.
After sharing the spoils goalless with Eleven Wonders in Techiman last week, Kotoko are hoping to return to winning ways since their lead at the top of Ghana Premier League log has been cut short to eight points.
A brace from striker Samuel Boateng set Kotoko up and unsettled their visitors. Former Berekum Chelsea skipper Stephen Amankona added another goal to complete the riot.
Kotoko coach Prosper Ogum Narteh was full of praise of his players and believes they are ready for the game on Thursday.
Kotoko annihilated debutants Bibiani Gold Stars 5-0 in their last home match played at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium.
There were good vibes surrounding the Black Stars despite the goalless draw against Nigeria in Kumasi as newcomers showed to oldies their dancing skills
Despite Ghana sharing the spoils goalless with Nigeria in the first leg of 2022 Fifa World Cup playoffs at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium on Friday, there were still time for the new players to go through their initiation which is a custom in the camp.
New players who were called to the national team for the first time were made to show the others what they have in stock in terms of dancing skills.
As a result, Club Brugge defender Denis Odoi who switched his nationality from Belgium to Ghana just last week was the first to start the show.
The 33-year-old began the initiation on a slow note but quickly grew into it and proved that although he may be a quiet type, there are other side of his life.
After him came A.S Roma youngster Felix Afena-Gyan who led the attack against Nigeria on Friday. The 19-year-old indeed showed that he isn’t only called Gyan but dances like the country’s all-time topscorer Asamoah Gyan.
His moves, timing and antics all depicted the one-time captain, Asamoah Gyan, who always set the camp in high mood.
Other players like Dennis Korsah of Hearts of Oak, Antwi-Adjei and Elisha Owusu were all able to entertain the players through dancing.
Watch Felix Afena-Gyan, Odoi, Elisha & others dancing skills
The Black Stars are expected to travel to Abuja on Sunday to continue their fine tuning ahead of the return fixture against Nigeria on Tuesday.
The Black Stars failed in their attempt to defeat Nigeria in the first leg of the World Cup qualifiers but journalists went through a hell of a time to do their job
Ghana drew goalless with Nigeria in the first leg of the 2022 Fifa World Cup playoffs in fully packed Baba Yara Sports Stadium on Friday.
Few hours to kick off, the stadium’s gates were choked as fans who had their printed E-tickets were finding it difficult to enter the facility to support their countries.
With long queues and time running out, sone of the fans opted to jump the stadium walls and watch the game before kick off.
Also, the media centre which is supposed to take about 200 journalists had four time the number leaving many journalists standing and sweating throughout the game.
Majority of the journalists had to ran their commentaries, especially on radio, stretching out their necks to catch a glimpse of the action.
Journalists were sweating in the unfriendly environment
It was an interesting sight as many were sweating profusely while others shouted for water because of the heat.
Ghana will travel to Abuja on Sunday for the return leg with a chartered flight and they will have to avoid conceding a goal to stand a realistic chance of qualify to the World Cup
The Black Stars failed in their r attempt to defeat Nigeria in the first leg of the World Cup qualifiers
Ghana shared the spoils goalless with Nigeria in the first leg of the 2022 Fifa World Cup playoffs at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium on Friday.
Few hours to kick off, the stadium’s gate was jammed as fans who had printed their E-tickets were finding it difficult to enter the facility to support their countries.
With long queues and time running out, sone of the fans opted to jump the stadium walls and watch the game before kick off.
WATCH HOW THE FANS JUMPED OVER THE WALLS
Ghana will travel to Abuja on Sunday for the return leg with a chartered flight and they will have to avoid conceding a goal to stand a realistic chance of qualify to the World Cup
The Black Stars skipper could not believe his eyes as he left the Baba Yara Sports Stadium after Black Stars training without some valuables
Ghana captain Andre Ayew experienced one of the shocks of his life when he was mobbed by some fans in Kumasi on Thursday after Black Stars’ last training ahead of the 2022 Fifa World Cup playoffs first leg against Nigeria.
Ayew, 32, who has been ruled out of the game due to suspension, arrived at the stadium to support his teammates and welcome the debutants who were handed their maiden call to the national team.
After a successful training and media interaction, Ayew was mobbed by over hundred fans who were hailing him while others wanted to have a picture with him for future memories.
In the process, the former Swansea City captain, who now plies his trade in Qatar with giants Al Sadd, lost his watch and gold chain worth around £20,000 in the process.
Ayew arrived at the Kumasi airport with his chain
Although, the person who stole the items was not seen immediately as police escorted Ayew to the team bus, a video circulating on social media had one guy making a confession behind the scenes of having the valuables.
WATCH THE VIDEO
Watch & listen to commentary behind on how fans mobbed Ayew and stole his valuables
Ghana will travel to Abuja on Saturday for the return fixture against Nigeria and the winner after the two legs will automatically qualify for the World Cup to be staged in Qatar later this year.
With barely 24 hours to the game against the Super Eagles, our reporters went to the various principal streets to see how things were going
There euphoria surrounding the 2022 Fifa World Cup playoffs between Ghana and Nigeria keep building up but not at a faster rate.
Ahead of the game, many Ghanaians are still not sure of what they will do to be at the stadium despite Ghana government issuing a short code (*711#) to be used to purchase tickets.
Moreover, the hype around the game is not intensed as compared to that of 2013, where the Black Stars hammered Egypt 6-1 at the same stage.
On Thursday, our reporters went to the principal streets in Kumasi, and most especially around the stadium to check the scenes but got a little disappointed.
No flags were seen being displayed to entice supporters and arouse their interest in the game ahead of the game.
Watch the situation in Kumasi on Thursday morning
Many are of the belief that the Black Stars may struggle to defeat Nigeria since the team is not in fine form. The Black Stars are yet to win any of their last four games as they exited the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations without a win after three games.
Also, Ghana’s preparations ahead of the 2022 Fifa World Cup playoffs against Nigeria seems to have been dealt a big blow following reports in the local media that FC Sheriff Tiraspol midfielder Edmund Addo has been ruled out of the game due to injury concerns.
The 21-year-old, who was expected to be named among the 18-man squad for the game on Friday as a backup to Real Mallorca midfielder Baba Iddrisu, underwent further assessment by the Black Stars medical team since he arrived in camp nursing an injury.
According to sources close to the team, Addo came from Moldovia with the injury in his club’s 3-0 win over Sfintul Gheorghe last weekend and although the medical team initially thought he would recover on time, the situation seems to be worsening.
Addo went through further checks in Kumasi as a MRI scan was needed and the report suggested that he is not fit for the double header.
Although, there are still 26 players currently available in camp, rumour suggest a local player maybe called to fill the void when technical advisor Chris Hughton and interim coach Otto Addo meet on Thursday morning.
The youngster is believed to have failed fitness test after undergoing MRI scan in Kumasi on Wednesday
Ghana’s preparations ahead of the 2022 Fifa World Cup playoffs against Nigeria seems to have been dealt a big blow following reports in the local media that FC Sheriff Tiraspol midfielder Edmund Addo has been ruled out of the game due to injury concerns.
The 21-year-old, who was expected to be named among the 18-man squad for the game on Friday as a backup to Real Mallorca midfielder Baba Iddrisu, underwent further assessment by the Black Stars medical team since he arrived in camp nursing an injury.
According to sources close to the team, Addo came from Moldovia with the injury in his club’s 3-0 win over Sfintul Gheorghe last weekend and although the medical team initially thought he would recover on time, the situation seems to be worsening.
Addo went through further checks in Kumasi as a MRI scan was needed and the report suggested that he is not fit for the double header.
Although, there are still 26 players currently available in camp, rumour suggest a local player maybe called to fill the void when technical advisor Chris Hughton and interim coach Otto Addo meet on Thursday morning.
Meanwhile, Nigeria’s contingent will arrive in Accra, Ghana on Thursday morning. They will connect another flight from Accra to Kumasi and later train at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium which will host the game.
The Nigerians are expected to lodge at the Golden Tulip Hotel between Thursday and Saturday.
Nigeria squad to face Ghana:
Goalkeepers:
Francis Uzoho (AC Omonia, Cyprus); Daniel Akpeyi (Kaizer Chiefs, South Africa);
Ahmed Musa (Fatih Karagumruk, Turkey); Samuel Chukwueze (Villarreal FC, Spain); Moses Simon (FC Nantes, France); Odion Jude Ighalo (Al-Hilal FC, Saudi Arabia); Kelechi Iheanacho (Leicester City, England); Emmanuel Dennis (Watford FC, England); Victor Osimhen (Napoli FC, Italy); Ademola Lookman (Leicester City, England)New arrivals:John Noble(Enyimba FC, Nigeria), Sadiq Umar (UD Almeria, Spain)
Ahead of the first leg of the 2022 Fifa World Cup playoffs, we chronicle some of the recent good times the Black Stars have had over Super Eagles
Ghana will host Nigeria in the first leg of 2022 Fifa World Cup at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium in Kumasi on Friday.
It is a game the Black Stars need to win at all cost and possibly avoid conceding a goal. However, that will not come easy since the Nigerians are in a blistering form amid their disappointing run at the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations held in Cameroon.
However, the Black Stars can take inspirations from the 4-1 thrashing of Nigeria in a friendly in England where Laryea Kingston, Asamoah Gyan, Stephen Appiah, Junior Ago, Sulley Muntari and Michael Essien made their opponents looked like mere minnows.
Watch Highlights of how Ghana silenced Nigeria
Nigeria’s contingent are expected to arrive in Ghana on Thursday from Abuja. They will then train at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium and later lodge at the Golden Tulip Hotel between Thursday and Saturday.
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has approved Ghana’s request to admit 40,000 spectators for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 play-off first leg match against Nigeria at the Baba Yara Stadium in Kumasi.
This comes after the Ghana Football Association request to play the game in full capacity stadium following the laid-down rules by CAF.
The GFA consequently advise all Ghanaians to obey all laid-down safety and security measures strictly to first and foremost have a successful match and also to avoid any sanctions from CAF and FIFA.
Meanwhile, fans are advised to strictly adhere to the designated spectator and stakeholders entry points and gates for verification of their tickets.
The play-off match between Ghana and Nigeria will kick off at 1930 GMT on Friday, March 25, 2022.
With barely 48 hours to the much-anticipated game between the Black Stars and Super Eagles, some of the tickets are already sold out
After a couple of hours since the E-ticket for the first leg of 2022 Fifa World Cup playoffs between Ghana and Nigeria went live, the 5,000 seats allocated for VIP out of the total seating capacity of 40,528 have been sold out, AshesGyamera.com can confirm.
With each VIP ticket going for GH₵100 ($13.3), many Ghanaians and Nigerians have bought them and are now patiently waiting for Friday to support their respective country in a bid to make it to Qatar 2022.
Don't let anyone lie to you that Ghanaians, especially those in Kumasi and its environs, will not troop to the Baba Yara Sports Stadium to support Black Stars against Nigeria on Friday.
Some of the tickets are sold out & others are on the verge of getting finished. Go Ghana🇬🇭🇬🇭 pic.twitter.com/0g1HXUUvKL
— Evans Gyamera-Antwi (ASHES) (@ashesgyamera) March 23, 2022
National Sports Authority (NSA) of Ghana teamed up with Ministry of Youth and Sports as well as Ghana Football Association to come up with an easy way of purchasing tickets for the cliffhanger encounter in order to avoid the usual stress which supporters and enthusiasts go through.
Fans can now easily buy a ticket with their phones by dialing the short code *711# and then select option 2. They later fill a short form and their tickets numbers with barcodes will be sent to them for verification at the gates on Friday.
Anyone who wishes to be at the stadium can purchase a ticket for himself or herself as well as other friends and relatives. One mobile number can buy two tickets in order to avoid hoarding and black market.
As at Wednesday evening, the tickets left on the market were East Stand (Yellow) popularly known as Centre-line which goes for GH₵50 per ticket.
Current state of Baba Yara Sports Stadium
Also, some tickets for North Stand (Red) and South Stand (Green) are still available and each ticket costs GH₵30 respectively.
Ghana’s squad touched down in Kumasi on Tuesday and they later trained at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium with 26 players since Jordan Ayew was yet to report due to ill health.
However, the Crystal Palace forward arrived on Wednesday from England and has joined his teammates to fine tune ahead of the game.
Meanwhile, Nigeria’s contingent will arrive in Accra, Ghana on Thursday morning. They will connect another flight from Accra to Kumasi and later train at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium which will host the game.
The Nigerians are expected to lodge at the Golden Tulip Hotel between Thursday and Saturday.
Nigeria squad to face Ghana:
Goalkeepers:
Francis Uzoho (AC Omonia, Cyprus); Daniel Akpeyi (Kaizer Chiefs, South Africa);
Ahmed Musa (Fatih Karagumruk, Turkey); Samuel Chukwueze (Villarreal FC, Spain); Moses Simon (FC Nantes, France); Odion Jude Ighalo (Al-Hilal FC, Saudi Arabia); Kelechi Iheanacho (Leicester City, England); Emmanuel Dennis (Watford FC, England); Victor Osimhen (Napoli FC, Italy); Ademola Lookman (Leicester City, England)
New arrivals: John Noble(Enyimba FC, Nigeria), Sadiq Umar (UD Almeria, Spain)
![Ghana 0-0 Nigeria: how journalists ran commentary while sweating in packed media centre [VIDEOS]](https://ashesgyamera.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/ghana-0-0-nigeria-how-journalist-768x432.jpg "Ghana 0-0 Nigeria: how journalists ran commentary while sweating in packed media centre [VIDEOS]")
![Ghana 0-0 Nigeria: Mad rush as enthusiastic fans break gate, while others jump over walls [VIDEOS]](https://ashesgyamera.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/ghana-0-0-nigeria-mad-rush-as-en-768x432.jpg "Ghana 0-0 Nigeria: Mad rush as enthusiastic fans break gate, while others jump over walls [VIDEOS]")
![Andre Ayew in ‘pains’ as a fan steals his £20,000 worth of watch & chain in Kumasi [Watch how it happened]](https://ashesgyamera.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/InShot_20220325_055634558-768x768.jpg "Andre Ayew in ‘pains’ as a fan steals his £20,000 worth of watch & chain in Kumasi [Watch how it happened]")
![Kumasi is ‘QUIET’ as Ghanaians are skeptical ahead of Nigeria clash [Video]](https://ashesgyamera.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/IMG-20220324-WA0001-768x576.jpg "Kumasi is ‘QUIET’ as Ghanaians are skeptical ahead of Nigeria clash [Video]")
![Video: How Ghana thrashed Nigeria 4-1 in friendly and other games [VIDEO]](https://ashesgyamera.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/video-how-ghana-thrashed-nigeria.jpg "Video: How Ghana thrashed Nigeria 4-1 in friendly and other games [VIDEO]")
![CAF approves Ghana FA’s request for full capacity at Baba Yara Sports Stadium for Ghana vs Nigeria [Check the reasons]](https://ashesgyamera.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/FB_IMG_1648052167122.jpg "CAF approves Ghana FA’s request for full capacity at Baba Yara Sports Stadium for Ghana vs Nigeria [Check the reasons]")