GHANA HITS EGYPT FOR SIX IN 1st LEG WORLD CUP 2014 PLAY-OFF QUALIFIER

By Frederick Quaye
In my preview yesterday, I likened Ghana’s World Cup first leg play-off qualifier with Egypt in Kumasi to the 5-1 drubbing two-time African Club Champions, Asante Kotoko, gave to Zamalek in 1987.

However, I did not think they would be able to overwhelm the Pharaohs the way they did to achieve a lopsided 6-1 record performance at the Baba Yara Stadium this evening.

Just as in 1987 during which Kotoko led Zamalek by 3-1 on the half-way mark, the Black Stars of Ghana mirrored that result with an Asamoah Gyan strike, complemented by a Wael Goma own goal, then a Mohammed Aboutrika penalty conversion before Majeed Warris restored the 2 goal cushion to Ghana.

In 1987, the second half was all Kotoko and the dominance was reflected in two goals from midfield strongman, Sarfo Gyamfi and power forward, Saraah-Mensah; however in the second half of this evening’s match, the Black Stars nailed the 7 time African Champions with three goals from Gyan, Sulley Muntari and Christian Atsu to complete the 6-1 hiding.

In my preview I implied that the injured defenders John Boye, Isaac Vorsah and Jonathan Mensah won’t be missed. Indeed their absences were not felt with the exception of a mistake by Rachid Sumaila that resulted in the penalty converted by an Aboutrika who was a mere shadow of himself.

On a personal level I think the Egyptians were defeated long before the match. Who would be able to take the festive and massive support Kumasi fans give to their beloved Black Stars?

The unrelenting chants of praise and “oje” songs will be enough to drive the fear of God into any side that plays in the BabaYara Stadium.

The early goals also did their bit to unsettle the Pharaohs and even more so the Ghana strategy of taking the fight to Egypt from the whistle,totally deflated the usual flow of their game.This defeat should not signal the end of the Pharaohs,perhaps rather it is a pointer to what they need to do away with and something they need to bring into their game and again it just could be that Ghana was too potent in their backyard to be beaten. Who knows?

   

At first glance, this unprecedented massive score line against the Pharaohs of Egypt gives the Black Stars of Ghana an almost automatic ticket to Brazil.

However, an appeal by the Ghana Football Association to FIFA to play their return leg in a neutral place due to the unstable situation in Egypt will not affect the aggregate outcome.

I daresay the ticket to Brazil has been truly booked regardless of the venue of the return leg match which is slated for next month.

GHANA V EGYPT : A WORLD CUP 2014 PLAYOFF QUALIFIER -"UNTESTED DEFENDERS?"

By Frederick Quaye

As a precocious 18 year old defender in 1981, Kwasi Appiah,now Ghana's manager superbly handled the skilful Zairean winger, Mayele Ayele, and blunted his wizardry such that Ghana was able to qualify for the 13th Africa Cup Of Nations in Libya which they eventually won.

That same skill and calm confidence to disable and neutralize forwards,will come in handy when they face Egypt in the penultimate qualifier for Word Cup 2014 in Brazil tomorrow in Kumasi.

Ghana, who are popularly known as the Black Stars, has been hit by an injury epidemic that has effectively sidelined three of her  regular  defenders who played in the World Cup 2010 and the last 2 Africa Cup of Nations .

John Boye, Jonathan Mensah and Isaac Vorsah have all been hit by injuries which will prevent them from featuring for at least two weeks, however the coach Appiah has an answer to naysayers and those who think their substitutes will find it hard to fit in against the Pharaohs on the night.

Drawing from his own personal story of having to lace on the boots for his first full international as an “untested” left full back against a marauding Zaire side who had drawn 2-2 with Ghana in Accra, the Ghana manager has more than enough wisdom to share and instill into Mohammad Awal, Edwin Gyimah and Rachid Sumaila, the replacements for Boye, Mensah and Vorsah.

Says he” 'I have never relied on one particular player, I always believe that as a team you prepare and make sure you have very good substitutes so that when you have issues of players getting injury you can replace them,'' he told Joy Sports

''And if other players had not been given the opportunity and used, it would have been very difficult at this moment. Fortunately for us, we have a very strong group that we can always depend on.''

The same composure and quiet confidence that he now exudes as Black Stars coach are the ones that he has always had as a player and will help his lads tomorrow to achieve a huge victory against 7 time African champions, Egypt whose last visit at the FIFA World Cup was in 1990.

Similarly, when Ghana qualified for Libya in 1982, a new generation with comparatively scant experience had taken over from those who won the 1978 Africa Cup of Nations, so understandably very few gave them a dog’s chance of even qualifying beyond the first round, much more conquering the continent.

With the likes of legendary players like Thomas Nkono of Cameroon, Salah Assad and Rabah Madjer of Algeria, Stephen Keshie of Nigeria among other celebrated names, Ghana indeed presented a sorry pack of untested schoolboys.

Some of the untested players of the make-shift Ghana team who featured were, “Tarkwa Polo”-Opoku Nti, “Zion Train”-John Essien,”Gaddafi”-Sampson Lamptey, George Alhassan, and a then seventeen year old,  you might know-,Abedi Ayew Pele.

At the end of the tournament “make-shift “Ghana ran away with 5 players voted to the CAF Team of the tournament!

So whoever tells me Mohammed Awal, Edwin Gyimah and Rachid Sumaila who have been drafted in to replace regular defenders John Boye, Jonathan Mensah and Isaac Vorsah will not have an excellent day tomorrow, tell them there was no Kwasi Appiah for Ghana in 1981 against Mayele Ayele for Zaire and Ghana never won the 13^th edition of the Africa Cup Of Nations in Libya. Period.