Sports
African Games 2023 close with festive atmosphere
The Accra 2023 African Games in Ghana came to a successful close last Saturday. Egypt were the biggest winners with 191 medals, 102 of them gold, but Ghana’s performance in the team sports was also very impressive.
The 13th African Games in the land of Ghana ended with a resounding victory for Egypt, who won 102 gold medals (191 total), twice as many as their nearest rivals, Nigeria, who settled for second place with 47 gold medals (121 total). South Africa secured third place with 106 medals, 32 of which were gold.
The African Games Accra 2023 also saw remarkable team performances from the host nation.
Ghana’s U-20 men’s national football team and their women, the Black Princesses won gold in the football event in Cape Coast and Accra.
In a nail-biting showdown at the Theodosia Okoh Stadium, Ghana’s national women’s hockey team, the Black Sticks, secured their first field hockey gold medal at the African Games. The dramatic victory came when they defeated fierce rivals Nigeria 4-3 in a sudden-death penalty shoot-out.
Ghana’s best performance prior to today’s gold medal was a fourth place finished at the Abuja Games in 2003. Kenya, who finished last in the group stage, improved in the closing stages to take bronze.
In the men’s competition, Egypt overcame Ghana after a 2-2 draw in which the hosts staged a historic comeback from 2-0 down. The penalty shootout ended 3-1 in favour of the Egyptians, leaving a sour taste in the hosts’ mouths as they failed to complete a ‘double in hockey.’
Algeria overcame a 6-9 halftime deficit to win gold in the men’s 3×3 basketball competition with a 16-11 final victory. Uganda finished third with a 17-11 victory.
In the women’s competition, Mali defeated Nigeria 21-11 in a West African derby, while the Democratic Republic of Congo beat Benin to finish third.
In handball, Egypt claimed one of its 102 gold medals with a narrow 33-32 victory over the Republic of Congo, while Nigeria completed the podium with a 38-20 win over Benin.
In the women’s competition, Angola won the gold medal unbeaten and convincingly, beating Burkina Faso 47-13, Ghana 35-13, Algeria 38-18 in the group stage and the Republic of Congo 33-15. Meanwhile, Cameroon beat Algeria 29-21 in the play-off for third place to claim bronze.
Zimbabwe was the inaugural champions of the women’s T20 cricket tournament, winning the gold medal after a thrilling super-over win over South Africa in the final.
In the men’s competition, Zimbabwe also claimed glory in the final.
The Accra 2023 tournament will go down in history as the debut of rugby as a competitive sport. South Africa, the reigning world champions, did not take part in the event, leaving the field open for others.
–Insidethegames.biz
Black Stars captain Jordan Ayew says Ghana will leave nothing on the pitch when they face England in today’s World Cup Group L decider at Gillette Stadium.
With both teams on 3 points, Ayew said his job is to ease pressure on the younger players and hold everyone accountable, himself included.
“I’m doing my best to guide the boys, make them comfortable, take pressure off them, and help us perform,” Ayew told reporters. “I have to perform too. They have to perform too. It’s teamwork. We’re helping each other.”
Ghana come into the Foxborough clash after a 1-0 win over Panama in Toronto. England beat Croatia 4-2 in their opener.
The captain’s message was simple, “We’re going to give our 100% and we’re going to fight. I’ll make sure when we come off that pitch, we have no regrets.”
The winner takes control of Group L. Kickoff is 4:00 PM ET at Gillette Stadium.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
Black Stars forward Brandon Thomas-Asante insists Ghana will carry no pressure into Tuesday’s World Cup showdown with England at Boston Stadium, saying the team’s self-belief and sense of purpose outweigh outside expectations.
Brandon provided a 95th minute assist that helped Ghana beat Panama 1-0 in Toronto.
The win left both Ghana and England level on three points in Group L following the Three Lions 4-2 over Croatia in their opening match.
Speaking to ghanafa.org Thomas-Asante is adamant that external doubt only fuels the squad.
“Everything to the best ability, it’s very much a case of we back ourselves, we believe in ourselves. Whether people on the outside doubt us, believe us, or anything that’s not what we think about. We think about why we’re here. We’re on a mission,” Thomas-Asante said.
The Coventry City forward said that mission removes any weight of expectation. “That means there’s no pressure. It’s even less pressure for us,” he explained.
“We know our fans believe, but we know that some people might want to overlook us. We use that to our advantage preparing properly and believing that we can go and do something,” He added.
England and Ghana both sit on three points heading into the Foxborough clash, with the winner set to take control of Group L. Kickoff at Boston Stadium on Tuesday.
GFA COMMUNICATIONS
