Ghana hopes of defeating the tiny island nation of Sao Tome & Principe by a wide margin in their 2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier on Monday could not be achieved thanks to a sub-standard astro-turf.
The Black Stars managed a 1-0 victory over the home side but they were left unsatisfied not because the lowly ranked side put up a stiff challenge.
The nature of the artificial turf at the Estadio Nacional prevented the Ghanaian side from stringing together decent passes that would have caused massive discomfort for the home side.
The bumpy nature of the astro turf could not allow the Black Stars to string their passes together and were left frustrated by the heat eminating from the plastic material the pitch is made up of.
Despite this frustration Jordan Ayew managed to convert a penalty kick early in the second half that secured the victory for the Black Stars.
Sao Tome were hammered 4-0 by Sudan in their opening group match last week and Ghana were seeking to replicate a similar result.
Ghana played as guests to Sao Tome and Principe on Monday in their second Group C game in the on-going 2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.
The Black Stars began their campaign on a good note in the 2021 AFCON qualifiers with 2-0 win over South Africa at the Cape Coast Stadium on Thursday.
The victory for Ghana in their second match of the group means that the Black Stars have maximum six points after tow matches in the qualifiers.
The top two sides in 11 of the 12 groups will all advance to the 2021 finals in Cameroon.
Cameroon qualify for the finals as hosts but are taking part in the qualifying campaign to gain competitive match practice which means just one team from Group F will progress to the finals.