Sports
Meteors must kill the ‘penalty demon’
Meteors celebrating a goal against Mozambique in their last game
Last Sunday, Ghana’s Black Meteors recorded back-to-back wins over their Mozambican counterparts in a CAF Under-23 Nations Cup qualifier in Kumasi.
The Ghanaians first registered a 2-1 away victory and sealed up the reverse mission to swagger away on a 4-1 aggregate delight.
The victory brings them face-to-face against Congo DR – doubtless, a lip-smacking crunch encounter whose aggregate winner qualifies for the CAF Under-23 African Cup of Nations tournament, next year.
Three teams from the Nations Cup qualify for the Olympics.
A little over two years ago, Ghana made it to the tournament proper, but failed to grab a ticket for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, after a heart-breaking loss at the shoot-out. That defeat still evokes a myriad of tear-jerking moments.
Four teams – hosts Egypt, Cote d’Ivoire and South Africa represented the continent in Japan – the last two countries benefiting from Ghana’s pathetic penalty malaise to scrape through.
One too many, Ghana football has been swallowed up by this ‘penalty demon’ – throwing the nation into unending tears of torment.
That is why there are many football fans who have sworn not to watch penalty kicks involving Ghana, just to avoid further heart-breaks. You remember the Local Black Stars’ penalty loss to Senegal too, in the 2020 WAFU Cup of Nations final?
Indeed, the agony and melancholy of defeat during the lottery of penalty kicks can live with the football fan forever – maybe, the player too. Of course, when there is victory, the irrepressible joy that comes with it can also be so uplifting.
Of recent times, Ghana football at the senior level has suffered at the icy hands of the shoot-out – to the extent that some believe our football is under some kind of malediction. Well, not too sure what it is.
What is clear is that Ghana often slumps shoddily when it comes to the post-game-dead-ball kicks.
Many are still at a loss as to how Ghana’s Black Meteors failed to make it to Tokyo, despite being given two lifelines in 96 hours. In the first instance, the Meteors rallied up to draw 2-2 in the semi-final encounter against Cote d’Ivoire in the CAF Under-23 African Cup of Nations (AFCON), before crashing at the spot-kicks.
Then came the third-place play-off that ended 2-2 with Ghana grabbing a last-gasp redeemer. The penalty kicks were quickly invoked. A win for the Meteors was going to send them to Ghana’s first Olympic Games in 16 years. They were tipped to make amends. But sadly, after throwing away their first kick, the South Africans went ahead to win 6-5. The Meteors were out rather distressingly!
One of the most recent of what appears to be a penalty hoodoo happened in 2015 when Ghana’s Black Stars crashed 8-9 in the finale of the African Cup of Nations, following a barren game after extra time in the Equatorial Guinea city of Bata.
It was a second title for the Ivorians whose only previous success came when they also accounted for Ghana in a similar post-match marathon shootout 11-10 in Dakar in 1992. A total of 22 kicks were needed to settle the title in Bata with the Ivorians missing their first two attempts.
First two kicks missed! That even makes it more excruciating and heart-rending! Ghana’s agonising shoot-out defeat means the four-time champions are still waiting for their first Nations Cup success since 1982.
What may yet pose as big test is our ability to banish our penalty demons.
Indeed, as the Meteors prepare for the game against Congo DR, let them begin to plan effectively towards exorcising the penalty hex which has haunted our football for God knows how long.
As emotional as they are, penalty kicks in general and shoot-outs in particular are not just gambles, according to research. Behavioural economics research shows that there are methods that both the kicker and the goalkeeper can use to gain an edge, and one of the most crucial factors takes place before the shootout even begins: which team goes first.
Based on player interviews, nervousness seemed to be the likelier explanation. So it stands to reason that players are most nervous during the tie-breaking round of penalty kicks at the end of a long match.
Indeed, Meteors’ Edward Sarpong, glaringly, was full of nerves as he dashed to take what would have been his team’s winning penalty against South Africa in the third-place match.
Noticeably, edginess, tenseness, nerves and weariness have been identified as one of the possible causes of penalty misses and it is high time our technical men and handlers of our national teams, woke up to navigate around this challenge.
PlainTalk with JOHN VIGAH
Ghana Premier League side, Nations FC, may have suffered the drop in the just ended Premier League and are destined for a fresh campaign in the Division One League (DOL).
But they stand a huge chance of remaining in the elite stage of the game as they face Dreams FC in an epic MTN FA Cup final at the University of Ghana Sports Stadium tomorrow at 6pm.
Dreams FC have been there before; going ahead to taste the honours in the 2022-23 season after defeating King Faisal.
Coming from a season that saw them crawl from the initial stages of the league to finish on a respectable fourth position, they come in as strong favourites to double their honours in the nation’s second top football competition.
History favours them in this regard. On their first final, they conquered and based on this, connoisseurs of the game have tipped them to make it ‘two-on-two.’
But Nations FC have been empowered by the age-old adage that “He that is down need fear no fall.”
Nothing can be worse than suffering relegation and exiting the limelight as far as exposure is concerned.
But the FA offers a decent opportunity to make them stay relevant.
Conquering Dreams FC would not just make them MTN FA Cup champions. It will grant them the prestigious slot to represent Ghana in the Confederation of African Football (CAF) second tier club competition- the Confederations Cup.
With Dreams FC harbouring the same ambitions, the stage is, therefore, set for a final that promises to be explosive and uncompromising.
The situation of Nations FC might have come to many as a surprise, considering their promising start to the season, with their defence especially, marshalled by Black Stars defender, Razak Simpson, and colleague central defender, Raymond Grippman, earning a lot of reviews.
But despite the struggles they endured at certain times of their campaign, the MTN FA Cup always provided slices of good fortunes as they managed to navigate their way to the final.
Road to the top
Nations FC began the MTN FA Cup competition on a promising note, enjoying some good runs with a win over DOL Zone Two side, Ebony FC, in the Round of 64.
That landed them in a tricky encounter with another high-flying Zone Two candidate, AshantiGold SC, a side that eventually won the title from the zone to qualify to the Premier League, but escaped.
At the round of 16 stage, they encountered and defeated Ghana Premier League side, Swedru All Blacks, 2-1 to gain progression to the quarter final stage where they edged Berekum Chelsea on penalties.
A dicey semi-final awaited them against Aduana FC in Swedru. It was a game Nations was given little chance to escape considering Aduana FC’s form but once again, they conquered to secure a final berth.
In total, the Abrankese-based club have scored eight goals and conceded only two throughout the competition, making them one of the strongest defensive sides in the tournament.
For Dreams FC, they defeated Division One League Zone Three side, Semper Fi, 2-1 to progress to the next stage of the competition where they accounted for Division Two side, Asanska FC, 2-0.
That handed them a quarterfinal berth where they faced Inter Allies and drew one all before winning 4-3 on penalties.
The happiest moment in their success story was a 3-2 semi-final win over GPL winners, Medeama SC.
With that feat, Dreams have been touted as potential winners as the match comes at a time the Nations FC side may be psychologically down over the weight of the challenge they face in the next season.
However, the competition has gain notoriety for not following any form guide and outcomes mostly coming as major surprises.
In this regard, Dreams may be tipped as favourite candidates but though Nations are wounded, the stakes could revive an insatiable desire to apply the brakes to turn the dreams of Dreams FC into a nightmare.
Support
The support from MTN Ghana has no doubt improved competition among the clubs with the attractive incentive packages for participating clubs.
MTN Ghana, which is celebrating 30 years of operations in Ghana, formally became headline sponsors of the Ghana FA Cup in the 2010/2011 football season after the competition had returned from an eight-year hiatus.
The first edition under MTN sponsorship was won by Nania FC, who defeated Asante Kotoko 1–0 in the final at the Accra Sports Stadium.
Since then, the competition has been known as the MTN FA Cup, with MTN renewing its sponsorship several times — in 2013, 2017, 2020 and again for subsequent seasons.
By Andrew Nortey
The Black Stars have opened camp in Cardiff ahead of next week’s international friendly against Wales.
The team is being taken through training drills by head coach Carlos Queiroz.
Thirteen players trained at Dragon Park on Monday, with others expected to join the squad on Tuesday.
They include Ernest Nuamah, Brandon Thomas-Asante, Jordan Ayew, Caleb Yirenkyi, Abdul Fatawu Issahaku, Elisha Owusu, Gideon Mensah, Marvin Senaya, Jerome Opoku, Benjamin Asare, Joseph Anang, Solomon Agbasi, and Alidu Seidu.
The Black Stars will train in Cardiff for one week ahead of the international friendly against Wales on Tuesday, June 2, before traveling to the United States of America.
Coach Carlos Queiroz will use the period to assess his players before naming his final squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in Canada, Mexico, and the United States.
Twenty-six players will be submitted to FIFA on Monday, June 1, as mandated by the competition regulations.
The Black Stars are drawn in Group L with Panama, England, and Croatia. They will open their World Cup campaign against Panama on June 17 in Toronto before facing England and Croatia in their other group matches.
