The Ghana Black Stars were too good for their Sao Tome & Principe counterparts, winning 3-1 at the Accra Sports Stadium on Sunday in the final Group C match of the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier.
The Black Stars won Group C with 13 points, led by Sudan with 12 points and South Africa with 10. Sao Tome did not receive any marks.
Sao Tome & Principe came out shooting in the first ten minutes, targeting the Black Stars’ goal area and proving to be the more threatening team.
The Black Stars, however, grabbed an early advantage in the 13th minute when Nicholas Opoku headed in from near range after Mohammed Kudus’ excellent corner kick.
Sao Tome came close to responding quickly, but Dos Anjos’ well-hit free-kick barely missed the crossbar.
With the likes of Thomas Partey, Kudus Mohammed, and Mubarak Wakaso all on the ground, the Black Stars were mostly in charge of the contest.
In the 31st minute, Djibouti referee Souleiman Djama gave Ghana a penalty after Jordan Ayew was brought down in the penalty area.
The Crystal Palace striker took a step forward and scored from 12 yards to hand Black Stars the advantage.
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True Patriots of Sao Tome & Principe were under intense attack, and Nicholas Opoku came close to scoring his second goal of the day with another header that went wide.
Kudus Mohammed, who scored in Ghana’s previous match against South Africa, came close to scoring Ghana’s third goal late in the first half, but goalkeeper Cravid De Almeida of Sao Tome & Principe made a fantastic save to deny the Ajax midfielder.
With a two-goal advantage, Ghana finished the first half in complete charge of the match.
The Black Stars got off to a fast start in the second half, looking for more goals against a team that had conceded the most goals in the group.
Gladson Awako, a substitute, had a golden chance to score his first goal for the Black Stars in the 53rd minute, but he missed from near range.
In the 60th minute, Baba Rahman scored Ghana’s third goal after Mohammed Kudus set him up beautifully.
With Ghana goalkeeper Razak Abalora on holiday, Sao Tome & Principe had little to offer in the final third.
Coach C.K Akunnor gave several new players, including Kwesi Okyere and Moro Ibrahim, their debuts, and the Black Stars dominated the game.
After a dreadful error by Black Stars goalkeeper Razak Abalora, who struggled to clear his lines late in the contest, Sao Tome and Principe equalized by substitute Jokceleny Fernandes Carvalho.
The Black Stars had a dramatic end, but they were able to hang on for full points.
Black Stars Starting Line-Up: Razak Abalora (GK), Benson Annan, Baba Abdul Rahman (Kwesi Okyere), Ismail Ganiyu, Nicholas Opoku, Thomas Partey, Mubarak Wakaso (Justice Blay), Osman Bukari(Gladson Awako), Jordan Ayew (Moro Ibrahim), Andre Ayew, Mohammed Kudus
Cravid De Almeida (GK), Ivan Dias Mendes, Edley Perrera, Jardel Nazare, Joel Das Neves, Soarez De Cruz, Edmilson Di Lima, Luis Leal Dos Anjos, Jose Carlos Da Costa, Ricardo Cardozo, Correa Nilson are the starting lineup for Sao Tome and Principe.
SOURCE: ATLFMONLINE
