Ghana‘s campaign at the 2022 FIFA World Cup geared off to a false start after falling 3-2 to Portugal in a Group H game at the Stadium 974 in Doha on Thursday evening.
The Black Stars became the first African side in the 22nd edition of the World Cup to score in the tournament after Tunisia, Senegal, Morocco, and Cameroon had all failed to find the back of the net for 360 minutes.
Otto Addo’s men had 3 shots on target to add to Africa’s total of 12 in 53 shots.
But, who was Ghana’s best performer against Portugal? Enjoy the detailed player performance review backed by numbers.
- 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.
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.
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 1 tackle, 2 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 2 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 %.
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.
Ghana’s best performer in the game. He attempted 2 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 4 dribbles – the highest by any player on the Stadium 974 field. He offered 3 crosses into enemy territory and made 1 tackle. Otto Addo’s decision to substitute him on the 76th-minute mark left many surprised.
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 3 times. The Al-Sadd man passed the ball 12 times and it was only on 2 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 2 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