Ghana 4-0 Sudan: Ghana player ratings

Monday, 25th March 2013

 

Before I go ahead to rate the performance of the Black Stars players against Sudan, I would like to state that despite the 4-0 result, there is still a lot of work to be done if Ghana is to become a very good team again.

I will go into detail in an article that will come up after this, but frankly Ghana’s build up was rather slow and the midfield went a bit awry in the second half. Anyway, here we go.

1.      Fatau Dauda: He did not have much to do after from saving a shot to his near post in the first half. He was protected well by his defence, particularly Isaac Vorsah. (6/10)

2.      Harrison Afful: He looked at home in his preferred right back role. Defensively he performed his role admirably and he was also an outlet on the attack, as epitomized by his superb cross that led to the second goal. A very good game. (7.5/10)

3.      John Boye: He has a reasonably above average game, even though he was caught out of position a few times. He did what he had to do to stem the Sudan attacks but was also well covered by Vorsah. (6/10)

4.      Isaac Vorsah: In my opinion, he was the man-of-the-match. He kept Ghana’s defence solid with several interceptions and also brought the ball out to launch attacks. He looked impregnable and is finally beginning to play like a central defender and not a centre half. (8/10)

5.      Richard Kissi Boateng: If this was an audition for the left back slot in the Black Stars, frankly speaking Kissi Boateng did not cover himself with glory. His recovery rate wasn’t the best; he couldn’t provide an outlet for attack down the left and defensively he wasn’t solid enough. So the Sudanese players kept attacking down his flank.  Not a good game overall. (4.5/10)

6.      Rabiu Mohammed: He would probably have taken my vote for man-of-the-match if he had not been substituted. He put in an enormous amount of work and his tackling and harrying allowed the likes of Sulley Muntari and Kwadwo Asamoah to express themselves better in midfield. He is one of the most important players in the squad now without a doubt. (7.5/10)

7.      Kwadwo Asamoah: Sometimes, watching him play for the Black Stars, I get the feeling that he is trying too hard to impress and it clearly showed today. Even though he fought hard from central midfield, too often his first touch let him down and some of his passes went awry. He still managed to get some good moments and worked hard. (6/10)

8.      Sulley Muntari: He probably should have been the one to play in central midfield. As it was, he played out on the right flank and kept cutting into the centre, even though some of his passes proved telling. He is clearly a deep lying playmaker but the role assigned to him restricted him and his lack of pace exposed him a bit, even though he made space for Afful to cross for the second goal. He tired in the second half and was taken off. (6.5/10)

9.      Mubarak Wakaso: The Espanyol midfielder showed enormous appetite for work and he kept tracking back to support Kissi Boateng. His freekick led to the first goal and he scored the second. He was also involved in the last goal and like Rabiu, he is a very important member of the national team now. (7.5/10)

10.  Abdul Majeed Waris: He took some time to warm himself into the game, but he showed great awareness and with Gyan dropping deeper, he was a tireless forward who constantly harried the Sudan defence. After Gyan went off, he was a bit isolated but he fought gamely on and showed his lethal side when he headed home Solomon Asante’s cross. He also unselfishly laid the ball on a plate for Emmanuel Agyemang Badu for Ghana’s fourth. A very encouraging performance on his first competitive start for Ghana. (7.5/10)

11.  Asamoah Gyan: The team captain looked comfortable dropping deep to support Waris upfront and his new role relaxed him. He took his goal well and until he was forced off through injury, he worked as hard as he could to get the team going. Not a bad outing at all. (7/10)

12.  Emmanuel Agyemang Badu: The Udinese midfielder reacted in the right way to being dropped to the bench by bringing his usual dynamism to the team when he came on for Gyan. It took some time for him to get going, but he eventually did and a lung-bursting third man run got him the 4^th goal for the Black Stars. (6.5/10)

13.  Solomon Asante: The diminutive winger also took some time to get into the game but eventually began to trouble Sudan on the right flank. Eventually he produced a peach of a cross for Waris to head home and did his claims to a starting place no harm at all. (6/10)

14.  Emmanuel Frimpong: The Arsenal midfielder showed that he could be a useful option in defensive midfield and he showed strength in the tackle as well as an eye for a pass. He will still need to do more to earn a starting berth, but he will put the likes of Rabiu and Agyemang Badu under pressure. (6/10)