Ghana vs Germany:: A point gained for the Black Stars or 2 lost???
After witnessing a pulsating game between Ghana and Germany I write with some sense of pride as a Ghanaian but with also a millimetre of disappointment.
One question keeps echoing in my head and its this simple; a point earned or 2 points lost???
Almost the entire majority who before the game had predicted doom for Kwasi Appiah and his charges will congratulate the boys for at least getting a point against a much dreaded Germany...
Their argument will further be buttressed by the fact that Germany beat Portugal 4 and comparatively Ghana who lost our first game to USA by a slender margin have fared better....
In as much as I commend coach Akwasi Appiah and the Black Stars for such a spirited performance.... I am somehow disappointed at us not being able to claim the 3 points to book another shock win in this world cup....
It would have been special and an ineffaceable moment.. It would have kept the name Ghana trending on several social media platforms than Costa Rica...
However , I want to take time to assess our players one after the other...
Fatau Dauda: The Orlando Pirates shot stopper who many doubted could meet up to the demands of this game was at it when it mattered most...
Although conceding two goals....the former Asghold man commanded the back line better than Adambathia Kwarasey did in our first game against USA.
The Black Stars goalie was one of our shining stars in the 2013 AFCON and I saw glimpses of his showing there in yesterday's game.
With his total performance I expect him to start against Portugal and pray he improves as the tournament progresses.
Rating::: 6.0
Harrison Afful....a versatile full back...the Esperance De Tunis man justified why he should have started the first game and not Daniel Opare.
Afful brought calm to the RB position... Was full of confidence going forward and put in better crosses with one resulting in our equaliser......
He however suffered fatigue and at times over played his crosses. His recovery was at times bad and it caused Ghana the first goal scored by Gotze.
He still has to improve on his stamina and final passes..
Rating: 6.5
Kwadwo Asamoah: the Ghanaian playmaker once again brought stability in his newly acquired role as a LB.
His qualities was never missed whenever he had possession of the ball.
He contributed his quota upfront and did similar defensively although he should have been present to guard the goalpost during that corner corner that led to us conceding the second goal.
However he over elaborated at times which saw him keep the ball for longer than expected and I think that's not healthy for our defense.
Bra Kwadwo please just keep it simple....
Rating: 6.5
John Boye: Aside Daniel Opare, one of the much talked about players after the defeat to USA was John Boye... Many even went ahead to doubt why FIFA selected him amongst the top ten defenders after the first round of group matches.
But against Germany... Note made very important interceptions... And was always at the right place at the right time...
He later on exhibited his human nature by losing concentration which caused Ghana...
He needs to keep his head firmly before, during and after the game and that should be quick...
Rating: 7.0
Jonathan Mensah.... The young center back put in an OK performance but just like his other CB partner ...keeping a focused head is key...
It should worry both that shipping in 4 goals in two matches is something that needs vast improvement and should be swift..
Mensah left Klose unmarked to slot in his record making equaliser for Germany.
Rating: 6.0
In midfield.. It was highly anticipated that the Germans will boss the game from the middle and I was one person in particular who was against Sulley Muntari starting because of his performance in our first game...
The AC Milan man rather proved me wrong although and was one of those players who got things going for the stars in the game.
His passing was an improvement of the first game...His team player abilities was without question and his partnership with Rabiu thrived well among a much more organised German midfield.
He also provided a nice pass for our second goal.
However he was visibly worn out and that culminated in his clumsy tackle at the depth which fetched him a yellow card and rules him out of our must win game against Portugal...
Rating: 7.0
Rabiu Mohammed......The young midfielder was at the thick of affairs for Ghana in midfield and provided a much needed presence numerically...
His rating is 6.0
Christian Atsu....young Chelsea winger keeps writing a good CV for himself that he is battle ready to make an appearance for his mother club with his nimble footedness and pace.
The former Porto man was always a threat to the German defence... With his incisive runs and tricky footwork...
His passing improved likewise his shooting...he however keeps appearing and disappearing in games and he needs to do the latter less.
There is still more room for improvement...though...
Rating: 7.0
Andre Ayew: Once again the son of Ghana's most decorated footballer came to our rescue by restoring parity when we were down.
An exceptionally taken header from a teasing cross from Harisson Afful..Andre Ayew has qualities of becoming a future Black Stars captain.
He is a real team player... Works hard..motivates and is sure to make the coach's squad in our next game barring injury...
He is rated 7.5
Kevin Prince Boateng... The talented attacking midfielder once again failed to score against a nation he could have been playing for.
His total output in the game was average and unlike him..
His passing and link up play was not at its best...it was clearly one of those bad days for Kevin.
I strongly believe that unquenchable urge to prove a point to a country that denied him a chance to play for them made him play with his heart more than his head.
Was no surprise when he was eventually subbed off in the second half..
Rating: 5.0
Asamoah Gyan....Ghana's talismanic captain has not only being our key man upfront but has shown he has the penchant for linking up well with his midfield..
Gyan worked hard and scored a well taken goal despite missing fee chances...
Rating: 7.0
Subs....
Emmanuel Agyemang Badu....injected pace from the middle... Wasn't his usual self....he messed up a great 3 vs 2 chance for us on the break ..could and should have fine better...
Rating: 5.0
Wakaso Mubarak: the former Espanyol man also put in an OK performance after being subbed on... Couldn't live up to Atsu's game though.. He didn't perform bad too...
Rating: 5.0
Jordan Ayew: As courageous as his elder brother... a little bit of belief in team work and Jordan would gave teed up Asamoah Gyan to slot in Ghana's third.
Being too eager to score made Jordan sheepishly shoot into Neuer's arms.
In all... He exhibited bravery and was always confident on the ball... But one advice is keep it simple and play with the team...
Rating: 5.5
Ghana will be ruing a missed chance to record victory over the Germans... And this might be a sign of good things to come in our match against Portugal.
However we can't afford to grow over confident and must work hard to achieve a handsome win against the Portuguese..
Credit should also be given to Otto Addo who did an extensive monitoring g of the German team and reported to head coach Kwasi Appiah...
We played yesterday like we really understood what they were made of.
Positives from yesterday's game::
Resilience
Improved our pressing game
Final balls and shooting was better than against USA...
Let me be quick to stress that these areas need fixing:
Concentration
Take our chances
Below are some facts and stats from yesterday's game
Miroslav Klose scored his 15th World Cup goal, equalling the all-time record set by Ronaldo and is also only the third player ever to score in four different World Cups (after Uwe Seeler and Pelé).
In 1974, Gerd Müller established that record at 14. In 2006, Brazil’s Ronaldo came to Germany to take it from Müller. Eight years later, Klose has come to Brazil to challenge Ronaldo’s record.
Ironically they all reached this landmark playing against Ghana.
Miroslav Klose is now the oldest German goalscorer at a World Cup at 36 years and 12 days, beating Rudi Voller’s record of 34 years and 80 days when he scored against Belgium on 2 July 1994.
Asamoah Gyan scored for Ghana, thereby raising his career WC goal total to five and equalling the all-time African top scorer in the competition: Cameroon’s Roger Milla.
Gyan also became the first African player to score at least in three different World Cups. Teammate Sulley Muntari, Ivory Coast’s Didier Drogba and Cameroon’s Samuel Eto’o can still match that feat at this World Cup.
Ghana earned a first world cup point against Germany and still haven't won a world cup game against a former champion. ( lost 2 nil and 3 nil to Italy and Brazil respectively in 2006...lost to Germany 1nil and drew with Uruguay 1-1 in 2010)
This was the first time since 1982 that Germany have conceded 2 goals to an African side.. The last team to do so was Algeria who recorded a shocking 2-1 win over the Germans...
Ghana's 2 goals was also the first a Black African side have scored against Germany at the World cup..
Andre Ayew has now scored in each game for Ghana's Black Stars...his best streak after a barren debut campaign in South Africa 4 years ago.
Germany are yet to lose a world cup game on 21 June since 1978....after a 3-2 defeat to Austria.
Germany have now played a record 101 matches at the world cup ..more than any other country...
After everything the question I keep asking myself is...is this a point earned or two points lost....
One question keeps echoing in my head and its this simple; a point earned or 2 points lost???
Almost the entire majority who before the game had predicted doom for Kwasi Appiah and his charges will congratulate the boys for at least getting a point against a much dreaded Germany...
Their argument will further be buttressed by the fact that Germany beat Portugal 4 and comparatively Ghana who lost our first game to USA by a slender margin have fared better....
In as much as I commend coach Akwasi Appiah and the Black Stars for such a spirited performance.... I am somehow disappointed at us not being able to claim the 3 points to book another shock win in this world cup....
It would have been special and an ineffaceable moment.. It would have kept the name Ghana trending on several social media platforms than Costa Rica...
However , I want to take time to assess our players one after the other...
Fatau Dauda: The Orlando Pirates shot stopper who many doubted could meet up to the demands of this game was at it when it mattered most...
Although conceding two goals....the former Asghold man commanded the back line better than Adambathia Kwarasey did in our first game against USA.
The Black Stars goalie was one of our shining stars in the 2013 AFCON and I saw glimpses of his showing there in yesterday's game.
With his total performance I expect him to start against Portugal and pray he improves as the tournament progresses.
Rating::: 6.0
Harrison Afful....a versatile full back...the Esperance De Tunis man justified why he should have started the first game and not Daniel Opare.
Afful brought calm to the RB position... Was full of confidence going forward and put in better crosses with one resulting in our equaliser......
He however suffered fatigue and at times over played his crosses. His recovery was at times bad and it caused Ghana the first goal scored by Gotze.
He still has to improve on his stamina and final passes..
Rating: 6.5
Kwadwo Asamoah: the Ghanaian playmaker once again brought stability in his newly acquired role as a LB.
His qualities was never missed whenever he had possession of the ball.
He contributed his quota upfront and did similar defensively although he should have been present to guard the goalpost during that corner corner that led to us conceding the second goal.
However he over elaborated at times which saw him keep the ball for longer than expected and I think that's not healthy for our defense.
Bra Kwadwo please just keep it simple....
Rating: 6.5
John Boye: Aside Daniel Opare, one of the much talked about players after the defeat to USA was John Boye... Many even went ahead to doubt why FIFA selected him amongst the top ten defenders after the first round of group matches.
But against Germany... Note made very important interceptions... And was always at the right place at the right time...
He later on exhibited his human nature by losing concentration which caused Ghana...
He needs to keep his head firmly before, during and after the game and that should be quick...
Rating: 7.0
Jonathan Mensah.... The young center back put in an OK performance but just like his other CB partner ...keeping a focused head is key...
It should worry both that shipping in 4 goals in two matches is something that needs vast improvement and should be swift..
Mensah left Klose unmarked to slot in his record making equaliser for Germany.
Rating: 6.0
In midfield.. It was highly anticipated that the Germans will boss the game from the middle and I was one person in particular who was against Sulley Muntari starting because of his performance in our first game...
The AC Milan man rather proved me wrong although and was one of those players who got things going for the stars in the game.
His passing was an improvement of the first game...His team player abilities was without question and his partnership with Rabiu thrived well among a much more organised German midfield.
He also provided a nice pass for our second goal.
However he was visibly worn out and that culminated in his clumsy tackle at the depth which fetched him a yellow card and rules him out of our must win game against Portugal...
Rating: 7.0
Rabiu Mohammed......The young midfielder was at the thick of affairs for Ghana in midfield and provided a much needed presence numerically...
His rating is 6.0
Christian Atsu....young Chelsea winger keeps writing a good CV for himself that he is battle ready to make an appearance for his mother club with his nimble footedness and pace.
The former Porto man was always a threat to the German defence... With his incisive runs and tricky footwork...
His passing improved likewise his shooting...he however keeps appearing and disappearing in games and he needs to do the latter less.
There is still more room for improvement...though...
Rating: 7.0
Andre Ayew: Once again the son of Ghana's most decorated footballer came to our rescue by restoring parity when we were down.
An exceptionally taken header from a teasing cross from Harisson Afful..Andre Ayew has qualities of becoming a future Black Stars captain.
He is a real team player... Works hard..motivates and is sure to make the coach's squad in our next game barring injury...
He is rated 7.5
Kevin Prince Boateng... The talented attacking midfielder once again failed to score against a nation he could have been playing for.
His total output in the game was average and unlike him..
His passing and link up play was not at its best...it was clearly one of those bad days for Kevin.
I strongly believe that unquenchable urge to prove a point to a country that denied him a chance to play for them made him play with his heart more than his head.
Was no surprise when he was eventually subbed off in the second half..
Rating: 5.0
Asamoah Gyan....Ghana's talismanic captain has not only being our key man upfront but has shown he has the penchant for linking up well with his midfield..
Gyan worked hard and scored a well taken goal despite missing fee chances...
Rating: 7.0
Subs....
Emmanuel Agyemang Badu....injected pace from the middle... Wasn't his usual self....he messed up a great 3 vs 2 chance for us on the break ..could and should have fine better...
Rating: 5.0
Wakaso Mubarak: the former Espanyol man also put in an OK performance after being subbed on... Couldn't live up to Atsu's game though.. He didn't perform bad too...
Rating: 5.0
Jordan Ayew: As courageous as his elder brother... a little bit of belief in team work and Jordan would gave teed up Asamoah Gyan to slot in Ghana's third.
Being too eager to score made Jordan sheepishly shoot into Neuer's arms.
In all... He exhibited bravery and was always confident on the ball... But one advice is keep it simple and play with the team...
Rating: 5.5
Ghana will be ruing a missed chance to record victory over the Germans... And this might be a sign of good things to come in our match against Portugal.
However we can't afford to grow over confident and must work hard to achieve a handsome win against the Portuguese..
Credit should also be given to Otto Addo who did an extensive monitoring g of the German team and reported to head coach Kwasi Appiah...
We played yesterday like we really understood what they were made of.
Positives from yesterday's game::
Resilience
Improved our pressing game
Final balls and shooting was better than against USA...
Let me be quick to stress that these areas need fixing:
Concentration
Take our chances
Below are some facts and stats from yesterday's game
Miroslav Klose scored his 15th World Cup goal, equalling the all-time record set by Ronaldo and is also only the third player ever to score in four different World Cups (after Uwe Seeler and Pelé).
In 1974, Gerd Müller established that record at 14. In 2006, Brazil’s Ronaldo came to Germany to take it from Müller. Eight years later, Klose has come to Brazil to challenge Ronaldo’s record.
Ironically they all reached this landmark playing against Ghana.
Miroslav Klose is now the oldest German goalscorer at a World Cup at 36 years and 12 days, beating Rudi Voller’s record of 34 years and 80 days when he scored against Belgium on 2 July 1994.
Asamoah Gyan scored for Ghana, thereby raising his career WC goal total to five and equalling the all-time African top scorer in the competition: Cameroon’s Roger Milla.
Gyan also became the first African player to score at least in three different World Cups. Teammate Sulley Muntari, Ivory Coast’s Didier Drogba and Cameroon’s Samuel Eto’o can still match that feat at this World Cup.
Ghana earned a first world cup point against Germany and still haven't won a world cup game against a former champion. ( lost 2 nil and 3 nil to Italy and Brazil respectively in 2006...lost to Germany 1nil and drew with Uruguay 1-1 in 2010)
This was the first time since 1982 that Germany have conceded 2 goals to an African side.. The last team to do so was Algeria who recorded a shocking 2-1 win over the Germans...
Ghana's 2 goals was also the first a Black African side have scored against Germany at the World cup..
Andre Ayew has now scored in each game for Ghana's Black Stars...his best streak after a barren debut campaign in South Africa 4 years ago.
Germany are yet to lose a world cup game on 21 June since 1978....after a 3-2 defeat to Austria.
Germany have now played a record 101 matches at the world cup ..more than any other country...
After everything the question I keep asking myself is...is this a point earned or two points lost....