The African Cup of Nations semi finals continued with the Stars taking on the host, and the billed tough game turned out to be a stroll in the park for a super charged Stars’ team.
Whilst the game itself was a good show from the Stars, crowd trouble towards the end lengthened the game by over half an hour as officials and police fought to restore order within the stadium.
Skipper Asamoah Gyan failed to make the starting line-up after picking up a knock in the final minutes against Guinea, Jordan Ayew was roped in to replace the Al-Ain forward.
The host had eliminated Tunisia in the previous round, and a wave of momentum seemed to be carrying them to an inevitable final slot; the only obstacle Ghana’s Black Stars.
And the Stars proved to be too hot to handle, romping to a 3-0 win in impressive fashion. Jordan Ayew net a first half spot kick, before Mubarak Wakaso and Andre Ayew round out the win.
The first half began with Ghana bossing the game in impressive fashion, creating numerous chances but failing to convert. Christian Atsu once again was a constant thorn in the side of our opponents, and it was not surprising he was involved in the first two goals.
He sent a lob through to Kwesi Appiah, who had an onrushing goalkeeper to deal with. He got to the ball first, got a touch, and then was brought down by Felipe Ovono.
In a magnanimous gesture, Andre left the ball for his younger brother, who struck a well taken penalty to give the Black Stars the lead.
In a game that Equatorial Guinea barely had a foothold in, the Stars took a 2 goal lead not long after. A swift counter attack was buried by Wakaso at the other end.
Atsu took the ball, impressively held off his marker and teed off Wakaso with a pass to the other side of the box. Wakaso cut the ball back, and then hit a shot past the helpless Ovono.
The second half began with not much changing in the trend of events. Ghana remained the better side, calmly controlling possession whilst trying to hit the Equato Guineans on the break; with a two goal cushion to seat back on.
And the final nail in the coffin came from the captain of the day, Andre Ayew. Kwesi Appiah once again was involved, rounding up Ovono before setting up Ayew for the easiest of tap-ins.
It was at that point that the home support lost their cool. They had been throwing projectiles onto the pitch since they went behind, and with about ten minutes left the game had to be stopped for over a half hour as officials tried to restore calm.
It was a sad exhibition from the home fans, who had hitherto proven a valuable addition to the atmosphere of the tournament. Watching the Ghanaian fans herded to safety, as our players stood askance on the pitch; a sad exhibition of the bad side of football, executed in a way only Africans can.
Eventually calm was restored, and the game ended not long after. The Black Stars picked up a satisfying win, making their first final since 2010; and awaiting them is the Cote d’Ivoire.
The last time both sides met in an AFCON final, Ghana were the losers. It’s going to be fireworks in Malabo on Sunday.
Well done blackstars….just one more match and the cup is ours…you guys can play this well and yet chose to put us through all the heartbreaks and disappointments over the years….anyway you are 99% forgiven…. the cup is now closer than ever before….so finish hard and strong lifting high the flag of our beloved country Ghana.