Posts Tagged ‘Ghana’

2013 African U20 Championship: Tournament Preview

Posted: March 11, 2013 by Dante in Africa U20 Championship
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Preamble

Recent litigation has intriguingly affected the importance of the African Youth Championship.

In 2009, new FIFA bylaws have influenced the potency of the tournament. Binationals were always a part of the picture, but as of 2009, they were allowed to switch allegiances at any which age. Consequently, more and more African U20s are having to compete with players of African origin who represented EurAsian nations at the junior level.

In spite of the influx of talent migrating from overseas, this tournament has still produced its gems. Ghana for example have graduated the likes of Mubarak Wakaso, John Boye, Emmanuel Agyemang-Badu, Richmond Boakye and Andre Ayew from the U20 set-up. They are but a tip of a talented iceberg the Black Starts have put out for this tournament over the years.

Groups/Fixtures

The eight teams have been bifurcated into two groups. The top two of either group automatically qualify for 1) the semi-finals, and 2) the U20 FIFA World Cup to be held in Turkey this summer.

Group A

Group B

Group A fixtures

Group B fixtures

Facilities

The two groups will tussle in two different cities: Oran and Ain Temouchent. The sister cities are within 40km of one another and both can be mercilessly hot. In Ain Temouchent, Group A will play their matches at the Omar Ouicef stadium.

Stade Omar Oucief (Ain Temouchent)

The pitch is in pristine condition

Ain Temouchent’s low stands make for a pleasing aesthetic

Stade Ahmed Zabana (Oran)

MC Oran’s Stade Ahmed Zabana (named after an Algerian revolutionary from Oran) will play host to the Group B. This ground is slightly larger and it’s pitch is weathered. It should, nevertheless, prove a competent enough venue for the exciting tournament.

Les Tribunes a le Stade Ahmed Zabana

Supporters in Oran can be fierce

History

Nigeria are not only the current champions, they are also the most successful nation to take part in the African Youth Championship.

AYCPerformance

2013 Cup of Nations Review: Group B

Posted: February 14, 2013 by SFG in Africa Cup of Nations 2013
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As part of SFG’s Afcon 2013 post-mortem, the SFG writers take the first cursory glance at the fortunes of each team at Afcon 2013, deconstructing the performance of each team in the format of Sergio Leones’ seminal work The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. After looking at Group A yesterday, we move on to Group B:

Ghana

The Good

There’s very little to be positive about for Black Stars fans. The fact they’ve reached the Cup of Nations semi-final for the fourth consecutive time tells us that there is consistency, but is it consistent success or consistent failure or somewhere inbetween? In the 2008 and 2010 editions (reaching the final in the latter) there was progress, but there has been little progress since then.

The Bad

The stagnation of their development. Ghana have played drab football in this year’s and last year’s edition, their performances far from convincing as they’ve had to rely on goals from set-pieces and penalties to overcome opponents; 5 of their 8 goals were scored from set-pieces and penalties in this edition.

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MALIcious performance as Ghana say Boye-Boye

Posted: February 10, 2013 by James in Africa Cup of Nations 2013
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by James Bennett

Ah, the third place play-off – football’s most pointless match. Except despite having no relevant end goal, they are usually wide open affairs with lots of goals, and the 2013 Cup of Nations version was no exception. For the second year in a row, Mali grabbed a surprising but deserved victory over a strong Ghanaian side with arguably their best performance of the championship, with Seydou Keita once again leading from the front in what might just have been his last Cup of Nations match.

An Eagle swoops

As usual, there were plenty of changes as the teams gave run-outs to some unfamiliar squad members. Mali made 5 from their semi-final, with an all-Coulibaly centre-back pairing, Soumbeila Diakite replacing Mamadou Samassa in goal, and Cheick Diabate returning up front in place of Modibo Maiga. There was also no place for Momo Sissoko. All-in-all, only Tamboura, Diabate, Keita and winger Ousmane Coulibaly (who replaced Sissoko) returned from last year’s play-off.

Ghana rotated less of their side, making just 3 changes – Richard Boateng replaced John Paintsil at the back, Mohamed Awal replaced Mohammed Rabiu in midfield, and winger Solomon Asante replaced Emmanuel Agyemang-Badu, meaning Kwadwo Asamoah played in another different position, in the middle with Awal. Asamoah and defender Isaac Vorsah were the only Black Stars retained from last year’s play-off.

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Carteron foursaken but Paul Puts Burkina in the Final

Posted: February 7, 2013 by SFG in Africa Cup of Nations 2013
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by Sam Crocker and Salim Masoud Said

GHANA 1-1 BURKINA FASO (Burkina Faso win 4-3 on penalties)

Starting out quite tentatively on the horrendous Nelspruit pitch, which now had masses of insects to deal with as well as it’s beach like qualities, it was Burkina Faso who seemed to be having the better of it. With Nelspruit a home from home this AFCON, with all of their games thus far been on the infamous pitch, they decided to take advantage of Ghana’s unfamiliarity, almost winning a penality after just five minutes. Pitroipa – cast out onto the left wing for this game – was clearly brought down by John Boye in a series of clumsy challenges throughout the first half by Boye, yet no penalty was given. Ghana off the hook.

A couple of minutes later, John Paintsil pulled up after a standard chase for the ball down the wing with Pitroipa, pain etched visibly across his face. Holding his hamstring, he collapsed to the floor, head in his hands such was the extent of his pain. Still covering the distraught look on his face, he was carried off the pitch, in what it almost certainly to be his final participation in AFCON 2013. Solomon Asante’s introduction as replacement prompted a reshuffle of the Ghana midfeild and backline, with Asante going to the left wing, Asamoah going to left-back and Afful going over to the right.

Ghana managed to work their way back into the game, with their efforts coming to fruition in the 11th minute, with Atsu winning a penalty. Jumping for the ball to gain an advantage on Panandetiguiri, the left back tugged on Atsu’s arm as he tried to run after the ball, felling him and making the ref point to the spot. Mubarak Wakaso, seasoned penalty taker at this tournament, stepped up to send him top of the scoring charts – his third penalty of the competition.

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AFCON semi-finalists show that you can get far by being hard to beat

Posted: February 6, 2013 by Salim Masoud Said in Africa Cup of Nations 2013
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Mali, for the second year running, have shown that you can get far by being hard to beat.

Mali, for the second year running, have shown that you can get far by being hard to beat.

Winning is overrated, some football purists say. Certainly, when World Soccer gathered a cohort of experts a few years ago to name their greatest teams ever, three of the teams in the top five – Hungary 1953, Holland 1974, and Brazil 1982 – had won zilch. If Sandals For Goalposts compiled a similar list with an African focus, Ivory Coast probably wouldn’t be in the top 5 but they would surely be knocking in the teens of the list; and they’d undoubtedly be Africa’s greatest losers.

Let’s get one thing straight: Ivory Coast are a good team. You don’t reach two finals and lose them both on spot-kicks if you’re a poor team. A great team they’re not, but the ‘England of Africa’ they are not. An accusation levelled at this talented team is that they’re over-confident. But when you’ve had a conveyor belt of ignominious failures, over-confidence becomes nothing more than punditry jargon.

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