The Black Stars earned all three points after recording a comfortable 2-0 win over South Africa in their first AFCON 2021 qualifiers match. They now place second to Sudan who managed to beat Sao Tome and Principe 4-0 in Khartoum on Wednesday night. They will make a trip to Sao Tome on Monday.
Here are the five things we learned from the match.
The team needs some time to gel fully
Most of the players picked to start the match have made seven or less international appearances and it showed on the pitch. There were some miscommunication among the players and their passes were not finding each other at times in the first half. There was a huge improvement in the second half however and this can only get better if the current crop of players play more matches together.
The marauding Alfred Duncan
Alfred Duncan was a menace to the South Africans down the left-hand side. The Sassuolo midfielder often moved into dangerous positions and delivered good crosses. He was taken off in the second half but he can be proud of the effort he put in for the team. We should expect to see more of him in the near future.
The confident Iddrisu Baba
One may think he has played with the team for at least four years after that display. The Mallorca midfielder showed a lot of confidence on the ball and picked the right passes from start to finish. He is certainly one to look out for in the future and would provide good competition for the likes of Mubarak Wakaso.
Partey began the party in Cape Coast
The Atletico Madrid star controlled a decisive pass from Jordan Ayew and drilled in one of his trademark strikes from long range. Partey was under huge scrutiny for his disappointing performance in the AFCON earlier this year and needed a big break. That break came today and the goal will no doubt bring back the faith in him.
Cape Coast Brought Back The Love
We cannot ignore the fans on this one. The stadium was full before the start of the match. They managed to come in their numbers to offer the needed support to the Black Stars against Bafana Bafana. This bodes well for the "bring back the love" campaign. The Black Stars can count on the support from the fans in future matches.
By: Bill Eshun [[email protected]]