Sports
Ghana’s World Cup dreams in danger after one all draw with Ethiopia
The Black Stars of Ghana have made their road to Qatar 2022 World Cup a more difficult one after being held one all by the Wallias of Ethiopia at the Orlando Sports Stadium in Johannesburg, South Africa on Thursday.
The Stars who needed the three maximum points to ease their chances in the final game at the Cape Coast Sports Stadium on Sunday, scored first in the 20th minute through a perfectly taken free-kick by Andre Ayew.
This was after the Stars had missed some clear-cut scoring opportunities through returnee Richmond Boakye-Yidom, as well as Kudus Mohamed and Kamaldeen Sulleyman.
Ghana kept the lead till the first half.
After recess, the Ethiopians took over the game outplayed the Stars by pinning them to their own half, winning all the 50-50 balls to keep them under pressure throughout the half.
Ethiopia, created several goal scoring opportunities, hit the cross bar once and forced Joojo Wallacot to make some goal bound chances, to deny them the equaliser.
However, it was obvious that, the equaliser was coming as the Ethiopians continue to mount pressure for it, which eventually came in the 72nd minute through Gataneh Kedebe.
Kedebe fired past Wallacot from a cross to return his side back into the game.
Head Coach Milovan Rajevac exhausted all his substitution by introducing Mubarak Wakaso for Boakye-Yiadom, Edmund Addo for Baba Iddrisu, Caleb Ekuban for Jordan Ayew and Fatawu Ishahaku for Andre Ayew.
But it was not enough to salvage the situation for the Black Stars as they have to be content with one point.
Ghana would have to beat South Africa by at least two unanswered goals to salvage their dreams of advancing to the play off zone.
Line-Up: Jojo Wallacot, Andrew Yiadom, Baba Rahman, Joseph Aidoo, Daniel Amartey, Idrrisu Baba/Edmund Addo, Mohammed Kudus, Jordan Ayew/Caleb Ekuban, Andre Ayew (c)/Fatawu Ishahaku, Boakye Yiadom/Mubarak Wakaso, Kamal Deen
Source: GNA
Asante Kotoko SC has announced with deep sadness the passing of its former Brands and Marketing Manager, Kweku Hammond.
In a statement released by the club, Kotoko described Hammond’s death as untimely and expressed heartfelt condolences to his family, friends, and loved ones.
“Although his time with the club was brief, Kweku served with dedication, diligence, and unwavering commitment to Asante Kotoko,” the club stated. “His contributions and loyalty to the club will not be forgotten.”
Kweku Hammond served in the club’s Brands and Marketing department, where he played a role in promoting the Porcupine Warriors’ brand and engaging supporters.
The club assured that it will continue to honour his memory and legacy.
“May his soul rest in perfect peace,” the statement concluded.
Fans and members of the football fraternity have since joined the club in mourning, sharing tributes to Hammond for his professionalism and commitment during his time at club.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
Captain of Ghana’s National U-15 Boys team, Abdul Aziz Issa, says the exposure gained at the FIFA U-15 World Cup and Festival 2026 in Azerbaijan will be vital for the development of the squad.
Ghana finished 7th out of 189 countries after an impressive campaign, winning eight of ten matches.
“I think we played well, the exposure was good for our development, and we can’t thank FIFA and the GFA enough for this amazing platform,” Issa said.
“I’m so very happy to be part of this FIFA U-15 World Cup and Festival 2026 in Azerbaijan. I want to thank my colleagues for how far we have brought Ghana in this tournament.”
The captain believes the experience will prepare the group for future challenges at U-17 and U-20 level.
Ghana enjoyed an outstanding tournament, scoring 44 goals and establishing themselves among the top seven teams.
Their dominant group stage saw them score 27 goals while conceding just three. Salifu Fatawu’s side opened with a commanding 4-1 win over Uzbekistan, thrashed Myanmar 7-1, recorded emphatic 7-0 wins over Guam and the Bahamas, before rounding off the group with a 2-1 triumph over Kazakhstan.
Their pursuit of a higher finish suffered a setback in the knockout phase after elimination by Paraguay in a dramatic encounter.
The team bounced back to finish 7th, including a commanding 4-0 victory over Colombia in their final game, despite suffering a 7-1 defeat to Brazil in the Tier A Ranking Play-Offs.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
