The Black Stars suffered a debacle at the Martyrs of February Stadium in Libya, losing to Sudan.
Ghana headed into the game needing a win to avoid complicating their chances of qualifying for the 2025 AFCON.
However, the team showed up looking gloomy and unenthusiastic and, as a result, got battered by Sudan, who are comparatively minnows.
Sudan secured a comfortable 2-0 win. Two unpardonable defensive errors caused both goals, but the scoreline could have been bigger if the Falcons had taken their chances.
The Black Stars players, especially the defence, were often caught in sixes and sevens, while the attackers looked disjointed and not threatening, hence, ending the game with one shot on target.
Here are the player ratings following the Black Stars’ abysmal display:
Lawrence Ati-Zigi – 4
Ati-Zigi had a good first half, making two significant saves to keep Ghana in the game. But his second half was nothing to write home about.
Alidu Seidu – 2
Unlike the first leg where he ended as the man-of-the-match, Alidu Seidu this time played a bigger role in the defeat after his indecisiveness led to Sudan’s opener. The error in the second half capped off a horrible day in the office for the right back.
Salisu Mohammed – 3
The AS Monaco defender looked passive all game. He got tested twice, and one of those resulted in Sudan’s second goal.
Alexander Djiku – 4
Djiku had a below-average game and escaped a red card after making a last-man tackle, but he was fairly the brightest spot in the back.
Gideon Mensah – 4
Gideon Mensah also looked decent and covered his area, but on the attacking front, he was lacking. His crosses were either too high or too short and therefore contributed nothing.
Ibrahim Sulemana – 4
Sulemana was not commanding as he was in the first leg. He lost many duels and could not find the right passes when in possession. He was dominated.
Elisha Owusu – 4
Similar to Sulemana, Elisha added up to the numbers. He misplaced a couple of passes and looked out of pace.
Ernest Nuamah – 3
The Olympique Lyon forward, just like all the attackers on the day, had an off afternoon. He could not create problems for his marker and could not combine with the other attackers or Alidu when he overlapped.
Antoine Semenyo – 4
Semenyo did not have a sniff at goal. He had fewer touches as per usual and, with the few times he had the ball, he was not productive.
Mohammed Kudus – 5
Kudus had yet another forgettable performance. He ended the game as the most fouled player as Sudan put the brakes on and disrupted his traditional dribbles. He could not impact the attack as he would have wanted.
Inaki Williams – 5
Inaki Williams lasted the whole game. He gave Ghana the lead, but the goal was disallowed. He could have gotten the team back in the game later on, but his volley went wide. Although he had a bad game, his positioning and runs gave Ghana some room in attack.
EE/EK
