Sports
U20 AFCON Egypt 2025: Ghana pip Senegal
At the ongoing U20 Africa Cup of Nations Egypt 2025, Ghana’s Black Satellites edged a fiercely contested match against Senegal with a narrow 1-0 victory, thanks to an early first-half goal from Emmanuel Mensah and a resolute display anchored by standout performances from Goalkeeper Gidios Aseako and midfield dynamo Lord Afrifa.
The game burst into life right from the start, with Ghana earning a corner and nearly scoring in the 1st minute, as Aziz Issah came close.
Ghana pushed forward with several early forays into the Senegal area, applying sustained pressure.
Senegal had their first opportunity in the 6th minute, but Satellites’ goalkeeper Gidios Aseako made a good save.
Moments later, Dennis Marfo received an early yellow card after a tactical foul following a defensive lapse, though Senegal failed to capitalize on the resulting free kick.
The contest evened out between the 10th and 20th minutes, but it was Ghana who struck first.
Emmanuel Mensah found the net in the 15th minute after a sharp pass from striker Jerry Afriyie. The Senegalese briefly protested the goal, but the referee let it stand.
Senegal responded with urgency, creating a number of chances. They missed from a one-on-one situation in the 18th minute, had a header saved from a corner in the 20th, and saw a long-range effort fly wide a minute later.
Ghana’s Jerry Afriyie then missed a gilt-edged chance in the 22nd minute after he was put through one-on-one with the Senegalese Goalkeeper.
Injuries and heavy challenges punctuated the half, including a brief stoppage for Misubau in the 24th minute. Aseako produced a sensational save in the 27th minute, denying Senegal from close range.
The half ended with another chance for the Satellites in the 43rd minute, after Lord Afrifa’s brilliant play nearly created a second goal. The Satellites led 1-0 at the break.
The second half began with a missed chance for Ghana in the 46th minute, followed by a Senegalese double substitution. Senegal came close again in the 51st minute, but Aseako remained firm.
The Satellites missed more chances in the 54th and 57th minutes, while Senegal failed to convert another in the 63rd. Ghana made key changes in the 63rd minute, introducing Maxwell Azafokpe and Sulemana.
Lord Afrifa, in the No. 9 jersey for the Satellites, continued to dominate the midfield, winning tackles and disrupting play with tireless effort.
Senegal made further changes in the 68th and 82nd minutes, trying to inject energy into their attack. Aseako received a yellow card in the 73rd minute for time-wasting, a sign of Ghana’s tactical management.
Andrews Adjabeng and Hayford Adu Boahen came on for the Satellites in the 78th minute as Coach Ofei looked to fresh limbs to maintain the team’s tempo.
Despite increased pressure, Senegal’s finishing let them down with a downward header in the 81st minute being expertly saved by Aseako.
Joseph Aidoo came on for the Satellites in the dying embers of the match, with Marfo continuing to shine, winning a free kick in a dangerous area in the 79th. The free kick was well executed but narrowly missed the target.
Six minutes were added on at the end of regulation time and the Senegalese tried valiantly to grab the equaliser. In the 93rd minute, Senegal had one last chance with a free kick, but once again Aseako held firm.
It was a match of high tempo, missed chances, and brave defending. Ghana’s midfield energy, smart substitutions, and goalkeeping heroics sealed a deserved and hard-earned win over a physically strong Senegal side.
With this victory, the Satellites have secured four points and lie second in the group, behind the Democratic Republic of Congo on goal difference. The top two teams in each group automatically qualify to the quarterfinals of the tournament.
Ghana’s goal scorer, the enterprising Emmanuel Mensah, was adjudged the player of the match.
The Satellites will round off their Group C campaign with a match against the Central African Republic who lost 1-3 to the Democratic Republic of Congo in the Group’s earlier fixture of the day.
Sports
GoldStars GPL feat no fluke
No prophet in Ghana would have been taken serious with prophesies of Bibiani GoldStars becoming the new champions of the 2024/25 Ghana Premier League (GPL).
That is not to take anything away from Coach Frimpong Manso, an Asante Kotoko legend, and his boys for the yeoman’s job they did in the just ended season.
They deserve every bit of the plaudits coming from well-wishers.
They came, they saw and conquered on their fourth year (2021/2022 season) in the elite stage of Ghana football.
Of course, this can only be a reality in the end but not a sound prediction at the start of the season.
But, so has it been. Stories like that of GoldStars sharply brings to mind a similar fairytale orchestrated in the advanced English Premier League (GPL) with the 2015/16 edition.
In the face of the Manchester City, Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool dominance, Leicester emerged with a bang, conquering every hurdle in sight with unsung heroes like Jamie Vardy, Wilfred Ndidi, Shinji Okazaki, Leonardo Ulloa, Danny Drinkwater, Robert Huth, Riyad Mahrez and others.
There was no indication of that sort at the start of the season.
As usual, the focus was on the aforementioned heavyweights but Leicester took the competition by storm to record a historic win.
Back home, the GoldStars story is not different. Despite the recent struggles by perennial favourites, Accra Hearts of Oak and Asante Kotoko, the two have always found their ways in fans prediction regarding the side to emerge winners.
Interestingly, both sides just managed to end up in the top four after Nations FC’s decision to abandon a game against Basake Holy Stars who cost them dearly, in the end, forfeiting the said game and going ahead to suffer a further three points deduction penalty.
Nations FC were actually the top favourites for the title until that ill-fated match against Basake Holy Stars.
Campaigning for the second year in the competition, very few followers of the game gave the Timber giants any chance.
But in the same ‘Rambo’ style, teams like Medeama SC and Aduana Stars descended on the GPL, GoldStars emerged with all guns blazing, strategically employing a tactic of making the Dun’s Park in Bibiani, a waterloo for visiting teams.
On a few occasions, they sprung surprises on the journey, recording a few upsets against gullible teams including Hearts of Oak in Accra.
They had a promising coach like Frimpong Manso who is yet to establish himself among the elites local coaches maybe because he is yet to work with any of the established club sides in the country.
But winning the local competition with a less endowed club makes you a legend, and truly, he has become one.
To management and other members of the technical team, one could only congratulate them for a job well executed.
The players have a huge role to play in proving that the feat was no fluke and that GoldStars has come to stay; and would continue to make an impact in the local game.
Much is not known about these players except Vincent Atinga who plied his trade with Hearts of Oak and Medeama SC. Others like Samuel Attah Kumi, Frank Amankwah, Kelvin Oppong, Charles Gyamfi Kamara, Abdul Farouk Amoaful, Gideon Anaba, Samuel Acheampong, Foster Agyei and Yakubu Haqq remain emerging talents aiming to carve a niche for themselves.
Definitely with the new challenge, some areas of the team would be strengthened as they face the finest sides on the continent.
Another season with a new champion should also serve as a wake-up call for the likes of Hearts or Oak and Asante Kotoko to quickly return to their glory days lest they lose their enviable place among the football elite clubs. Well-done GoldStars.
By Andrew Nortey
Sports
Golden Kick, a tricky obstacle for Kotoko in MTN FA Cup final tomorrow
The University of Ghana Stadium will come alive tomorrow when Ghanaian giants, Kumasi Asante Kotoko, take on lower tier side, Golden Kicks FC, in a thrilling climax to the 2024/25 MTN FA Cup final tomorrow at exactly 5pm.
The much anticipated game, which is more than just a battle for silverware but a meeting of tradition and ambition for both teams, is expected to draw thousands of football fanatics across the country to the Legon stadium for what promises to be a dramatic and tricky finale to this season’s domestic cup competition.
After an unsuccessful season in the Ghana Premier League which saw the Reds miss out on the title to Bibiani GoldStars, the Porcupine Warriors will be desperate to finish the season on a high by clinching the title to secure a place in the next CAF interclub competition.
The Reds have a rich history in the FA Cup competition having won it nine times and will be eyeing their 10th title to stamp their authority as the overall best.
Before reaching this stage, Asante Kotoko eliminated formidable opponents like True Democracy, Sekondi Eleven Wise and Berekum Chelsea in the semi-final.
The availability of players like Justice Blay, Kwame Opoku, Frederick Asare, Peter Amidu Acquah and striker Albert Amoah, among other notable players will be a big boost to Coach Karim Zito’s side.
Meanwhile, the task will not be an easy one for Kotoko looking at the way their opponents reached the final with wins over Accra Hearts of Oak and Bechem United before climaxing it with Attram d’ Visser.
Coached by young and tactical Fiifi Parker Hanson, Golden Kicks have a combined youthful team with tactical discipline to punch well above their weight and relish the opportunity to shock the giants once more on a bigger stage.
This final is more than just a contest between Premier League royalty and a hungry underdog but rather a tale of two contrasting football identities. Kotoko brings the weight of tradition, experience, legacy and pressure while Golden Kicks arrive with nothing to lose and everything to prove which makes the game a promised one, full of thrills and fireworks.
By Enoch Ntiamoah
