Ghana vs. Portugal Match Report: Black Stars Lose the Plot

Black Stars Lose Plot On & Off Pitch

Amid yet more controversy the Black Stars of Ghana crashed out of the World Cup after losing 2-1 to Portugal. Ghana went into the game knowing only victory would give them any hope of progress, Portugal on the other hand had even less hope due to their inferior goal difference and were playing for pride (and hoping for a minor miracle to qualify). An own goal by John Boye and a late winner from Cristiano Ronaldo put paid to our attempts to win. Both goals bookended Asamoah Gyan's equaliser which briefly gave Ghana hope. The result is all the more painful with USA ending up on the losing end to Germany, meaning that if Ghana had done the job they could have qualified. But alas, it wasn't meant to be.

Heading into the match Ghana already had its fair share of off-field issues. There was the match fixing exposé by the British media early in the week, and then there was the players fees and bonuses not being paid on time which resulted in players refusing to train on Tuesday. And finally just hours before kick-off there was a player / coaching staff bust-up which ended in Sulley Muntari and Kevin Prince Boateng being ejected from our squad for the remainder of the tournament. Ghana had the holy trinity in pre-match controversy. It was possibly the worst build up to a World Cup match in living memory. From the outside looking in, Ghana seemed to be in disarray, there was genuine fear that team morale was at an all time low.

In the game itself coach Appiah made 2 changes from the team that drew with Germany, with Agyemang Badu and Majeed Waris replacing Ghana's bad boy duo Boateng and Muntari. Portugal opted to start with young forward Eder replacing the experienced Postiga, Real Madrid's hot headed defender Pepe returned to the side from suspension and midfielder William Cavalho was selected to add steel to their team. The game itself started rather slowly particularly for the Black Stars. Portuguese superstar Ronaldo created a scare by bursting down the right wing and delivering a cross cum shot that rattled the Ghanaian cross bar.

The Portuguese were definitely getting the better of the early exchanges, sitting off their opponents and breaking whenever Ghana squandered possession of the ball. They often attacked with width and pace on the counter (as predicted in my preview). Ronaldo was denied by Ghana keeper Fatawu Dauda in the 20th minute. The keeper made a good reaction save after the Balon d'Or winner directed a powerful header directly at him. Stand-in left back Miguel Veloso was beginning to find space and it was his cross that led to the opener on the 30th minute. Andre Ayew lost possession on the edge of the Portuguese box while attempting to swing the ball wide. His attempted pass hit the referee and Portugal regained possession and launched a swift counter. Veloso's wicked low cross confounded Ghana's John Boye as his attempt to clear the ball went awry and ended up in the back of the net for an own goal.

Ghana continued to struggle for rhythm with mistimed passes and poor first touches common place in the first half. This was a familiar sequence during this tournament; starting each match rather slowly and going a goal behind before we were able to muster any real response. But for a few half chances for Asamoah Gyan, Ghana offered very little cutting edge and weren't able to get out of second gear despite needing to win and being a goal down. The game remained 1-0 to Portugal at the half with our opponents edging it overall. The 'other' game between Germany and USA was scoreless at half time, which meant the both teams would qualify regardless of what happened between Ghana and the Portuguese.

Things needed to improve quickly in the 2nd half or Ghana would be kissing their chances of qualification goodbye. However the start of the new period wasn't much better with misplaced passes and wasted possession still afflicting Ghana. Once again our captain Asamoah Gyan was busy on the pitch, often moving around to create space and fashioned a long range shot from the edge of the box that went narrowly wide. His burst of energy seemed to inspire the team, after 57 minutes Ghana were level with our best move of the game. Once again Andre Ayew and Kojo Asamoah combined well on the left. Asamoah's dinked cross to the back post was perfect for Gyan to nod past the Portuguese keeper and restore parity for the Ghanaians.

News had also filtered through that Germany had taken the lead against the Americans, meaning if Ghana were to complete a stirring comeback they would qualify to the next round. It was finely balanced at this point with Ghana's destiny seemingly in their own hands; score another goal and Ghana would be through on goals scored (which represented the finest of margins). Ghanaian tails were up and we could sense the potential glory. Four minutes after our goal, Majeed Waris had a wonderful opportunity to give Ghana the lead after fine work on the left by Asamoah Gyan (who was by far Ghana's best player on the day). His header went wide when it seemed easier to score and frustratingly Ghana failed to take the lead.

Inevitably, Ghana's lack of composure in the final third (which plagued them in all their matches) came back to haunt them. On the 80th minute Ghana's hopes for qualification were all but dashed. Once again poor decision making defensively had cost them, this time the culprit being our goallie Dauda, who opted to push away an attempt at goal where he could have easily held onto the ball. The ball fell to none other than Ronaldo, who tucked the ball home much to the dismay of Ghanaian supporters. It seemed Kwaku Bonsam's plans had backfired: The only team Ronaldo managed to score against in this World Cup was us!

The game, like Ghana's participation in the tournament ended at the final whistle with regret and disappointment for our team and our nation as a whole. A tournament that started with so much promise ended on a sad and controversial note. It is especially sad when you consider this may be the last time we see the likes of Essien (an unused sub), Boateng and Muntari representing Ghana at international level. There is hope for the future with the emergence of some of our younger talent. Andre Ayew had a good tournament, Gyan became the all time leading African scorer in World Cup history. Rabiu was solid and dependable in midfield as was Christian Atsu. We can boast to have one of the world's finest wing backs in Kojo Asamoah. Also Mubarak Wakaso who was Ghana's top scorer at the last African Cup of Nations was lively in his cameo appearance today and should get more playing time in the future. 

Final results mean that Germany and the USA progress to the round of 16. Ghana must go away from this tournament determined to learn from the mistakes that were made on and off the pitch. Hopefully we will return stronger for the experience in 2018.