Commentary, News

AFCON23: Ghana 2 Egypt 2; the analysis

By Raymond Tuvi

Having dominated the African soccer stage as one of the continent’s few greats, with equally impressive showings at the FIFA World Cup, but now going trophyless over the past four decades, the Black Stars of Ghana entered the 34th edition of the TotalEnergies African Cup of Nations currently ongoing in neighbouring La Cote d’Ivoire with high expectations of the nation’s 32 million soccer crazy citizens for an end to its 42-year trophy drought. But after a dismal opening group match and loss to the less-fancied and what some would call soccer minnows, the Blue Sharks of Cape Verde, the Black Stars of Ghana had their work cut out and their destiny in the tournament in their own hands.

They had to win their next group match at all costs to make progress out of the Group. It didn’t help matters that our next opponent was going to be the star-studded seven-time winners of the AFCON trophy, the Liverpool Football Club talisman Mohammed Salah-captained Pharaohs of Egypt. Besides the light note given the crucial encounter, that, on account of the historical relationship between Ghana and the Arab nation, that is our first President Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah having married an Egyptian lady, Helena Fathia Ritz, thus there’ll be the male dominance in that regard, almost all Ghanaians were filled with the hope and dread of a sheep being led to the slaughter. Even though the Pharaohs only managed to snatch a 2-2 draw with not a known football nation, other Group B members, Mozambique, their coherence as a team and attacking sharpness could not be lost on any analyst or observer of their play. So, Ghana had legitimate cause to be scared, considering the uncoordinated play and poor coaching decisions like starting line-up list and crucial substitution decisions.

The technical team must have given ear to the better judgment of many experienced analysts to improve the starting line-up of the Black Stars for the game against Egypt on Thursday. An attack-oriented squad from the get-go that included Inaki Williams, Sallis Samed and poster-boy Mohammed Kudus presented a better and improved game compared to the Cape Verde encounter.

Contrary to the steamrolling we all expected at the hand of the swift and purposeful Egyptians, Ghana had contained them and made some exciting moves and incursions up to the half-hour mark. However, a hard-to-understand technique of play that predates Coach Chris Hughton and that seems to characterize the Ghana game, is the long-observed affinity for Ghanaian players to want to keep passing the ball backwards. Even though the attack can be built with some back passes, this technique as a normal strategy is contrary to the offensive logic or attacking to score nature of a game like football.

This unfathomable demerit of frequently sending the ball back was responsible for the two elementary errors in the vital area of the Black Stars that the Egyptians exploited to come back twice after Man of the Match, scintillating Mohammed Kudus twice put Ghana ahead. Attack is the most rewarding battle strategy that is applicable to all combative engagements and group competitive sports like football. Indeed, as Marshal Ferdinand Foch, the Supreme Commander of the Allied Armies in the final stages of World War One, is reputed to have famously said, “Attack is the best form of defence”.

Going into the match our last match, Coach Chris Hughton will save the day and perhaps his job by instructing the boys not to unnecessarily hang onto the ball too long but to release it, especially when strikers are prowling in the vital area of their opponents waiting to be served. Like most of the other competitive teams in the tournament do, our players should try long-range shorts and not try to impress an uninterested audience with their inconsequential dribbling skills. After all the even half-fit Kudus has shown how it should be done by his two excellent one-time strikes.

Now that we’ve been left with no option but to resort to calculations and permutations that have characterized the last group matches in recent tournaments, the Stars can only go all out.

There’s no gainsaying the fact that the last match against Mozambique is a must win if we have any hope of redeeming our image not only in the current AFCON, but as a great and respected African football nation.

We wish the Black Stars all the best in their last Group match and trust they would make themselves proud and lift the flag of Ghana high.