A PREVIEW OF THE AFCON 2015 QUALIFIER BETWEEN TOGO AND GHANA
GHANA NATIONAL FOOTBALL TEAM: RECORD V TOGO
Games won:
|
16
|
Games drawn:
|
9
|
Games lost:
|
6
|
20 Oct 1956
|
D
|
International
|
||
18 Aug 1966
|
D
|
International
|
||
21 Aug 1966
|
W
|
International
|
||
13 Jun 1971
|
L
|
African Nations Cup
|
||
20 Jun 1971
|
D
|
African Nations Cup
|
||
28 Dec 1972
|
D
|
International
|
||
29 May 1977
|
W
|
International
|
||
12 Jun 1977
|
W
|
International
|
||
23 Feb 1982
|
W
|
West Africa Nations Cup
|
||
25 Sep 1983
|
D
|
West Africa Nations Cup
|
||
02 Oct 1983
|
W
|
West Africa Nations Cup
|
||
15 Feb 1984
|
L
|
International
|
||
21 Nov 1984
|
D
|
West Africa Nations Cup
|
||
28 Nov 1984
|
W
|
West Africa Nations Cup
|
||
25 Feb 1986
|
D
|
West Africa Nations Cup
|
||
02 Mar 1986
|
W
|
West Africa Nations Cup
|
||
31 Jul 1986
|
D
|
CEDEAO Cup
|
||
06 Jan 1987
|
W
|
African Games
|
||
18 Jan 1987
|
D
|
African Games
|
||
04 Feb 1987
|
W
|
West Africa Nations Cup
|
||
30 Sep 1990
|
W
|
African Nations Cup
|
||
29 Apr 1991
|
W
|
African Nations Cup
|
||
04 Apr 1992
|
L
|
International
|
||
06 Jan 1997
|
L
|
International
|
||
12 Feb 1998
|
L
|
African Nations Cup
|
||
25 Dec 1999
|
W
|
River 99 Tournament
|
||
27 Jan 2000
|
W
|
African Nations Cup
|
||
11 Jan 2006
|
L
|
International
|
||
15 Aug 2006
|
W
|
International
|
||
18 Nov 2007
|
W
|
International
|
||
08 Feb 2011
|
W
|
International
|
REFEREE
AND ASSISTANTS………….
Algerian referee Mohamed
Benouza has been appointed as the centre man for Ghana’s Africa Cup of Nations
qualifier against Togo in Lome on Wednesday.The 41-year-old businessman will be assisted by countrymen Bouabdallah Omari and Mokrane Gourari as assistants 1 and 2 respectively while another Algerian Mokhtar Amalou serves at the fourth official.
In 64 international matches, Benouza has awarded 17 penalties (Home: 11, Away: 6)
Red Cards: 19 (Home: 7, Away: 12)
Yellow Cards: 248 (Home: 115, Away: 133)
REFEREE MOHAMED BENOUZA MATCHES INVOLVING GHANA
CHAN 2014 final
Libya 0-0 Ghana
AFRICAN NATIONS CUP 2013 QUALIFIERS
2nd round Ghana 2-0 Malawi
AFRICAN NATIONS CUP 2012
1/2 finals Zambia 1-0 Ghana
AFRICAN NATIONS CUP 2010
1/4 finals Angola 0 – 1 Ghana
WC 2010 QUALIFIERS - AFRICA
2nd stage Gabon 2-0 Ghana
AFRICAN NATIONS CUP 2008
1/4 finals Ghana 2-1 Nigeria
REFEREE BENOUZA’S MATCHES INVOLVING TOGO
WC 2014 QUALIFIERS - AFRICA
2nd round Libya 2-0 Togo
AFRICAN NATIONS CUP 2012 QUALIFIERS
Chad 2 – 2 Togo
THE
TEAMS
The Togo national football team………… nicknamed Les
Eperviers (The Sparrow Hawks), Prior to gaining independence in 1960, the team
were known as French Togoland…..
The team is currently being coached by, Tchakala
Tchanilé, a former player.
AFRICA
CUP OF NATIONS RECORD
They made their debut appearance at the 1972 AFCON
hosted by Cameroon and exited the competition at the group stages.
They returned to the tournament again in 1984 when Ivory
Coast hosted the continental showpiece and again said goodbye to the tournament
at the group stages.
Their other appearances saw them exit at the same stage
in 1998, 2000, 2002 and 2006.
Their best ever tournament remains the 2013 edition in
South Africa where they reached the group stages.
They also withdrew from the 2010 edition in Angola after
a rebel attack on the team.
KEY
PLAYERS
Emmanuel
Adebayor was also eligible to play for Nigeria but
chose to represent the country of his birth. The Tottenham Hotspur hit-man remains
his country’s all time top scorer with 27 goals in 57 appearances. The 2008 African
Footballer of the Year will pose a major threat for Ghana’s defence despite seeing
a topsy-turvy in his club career off late.
Serge
Gakpé: Gakpe born in France opted to represent
Togo and got his debut for the Sparrow Hawks in 2009 against Morocco.
He was instrumental in Togo’s exploits at the 2013 AFCON
and the team will count on his pace and ability to take on players against the
Black Stars.
He plays for French side FC Nantes.
Alaixys
Romao: The
French-born Togolese football midfielder, who plays for Marseille in the Ligue
1 has always been a regular figure of the Togolese national team whenever he is
available.
He represented them in the 2006 world cup and his
experience in midfield will contribute immensely if the Togolese side will be
successful against Ghana.
GHANA
The Ghana National football team, nicknamed the Black
Stars has always been an inexcusable symbol in the history of African football.
The team has won the Africa Cup of Nations four times
(in 1963, 1965, 1978, and 1982) and has been runner-up 4 times (in 1968, 1970,
1992, and 2010) and is currently coached by Dr James Akwasi Appiah who also
captained the team and was part of the victorious AFCON squad in 1982.
AFRICA
CUP OF NATIONS RECORD
The Black Stars is the first winner of three Nations Cup
tournaments, and obtained the right to permanently hold the trophy in 1978. The
Black Stars have qualified for the tournament 19 times in total, winning it on
four occasions, finishing as runners-up four times, third once, and fourth
three times.
1963: Champions/1965: Champions/1968: Second Place/1970:
Second Place/1978: Champions/1980: Round 1/1982: Champions/1984: Round 1/1992: Second
Place*/1994: Quarter-finals/1996: Fourth Place/1998: Round 1/2000: Quarter-finals/2002:
Quarter-finals/2004: Did not qualify/2006: Round 1/2008: Third Place/2010: Second
Place/2012: Fourth Place/2013: Fourth Place
KEY
PLAYERS
Asamoah
Gyan: the prolific striker will be hoping to
shove off recent off-field issues to lead the team to victory against Togo.
The striker of the side is the leading top scorer for
the national side of whom he has represented since age 17.
His return to solid form will increase the chance of
Ghana amassing maximum points against the buoyant Togolese.
André
Ayew: the son of Ghana legend Abedi Ayew Pele is
looking at the opportunity of winning the trophy his father won as a youngster
with Ghana in 1982.
Ayew plays with poise and is always a constant threat to
the opposition with his pace and zest. A typical team player, Ayew’s influence
could be key to Ghana against Togo.
Kwadwo
Asamoah: The left footed Juventus midfielder
unarguably remains Ghana’s most talented playmaker at the moment.
Has vision, and his main abilities remains locating
teammates with long passes and also has an eye for goal himself where he
unleashes powerful left footed shots from distance.
He will be the main target of the Togolese opposition.
In
2013, Asamoah was ranked as the 27th best footballer in the world by Bloomberg.