March 23, (THEWILL) – Ghana clinched a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Angola in a tightly contested Group E match of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualification held at the Baba Yara Stadium in Kumasi on Thursday.
Despite creating several opportunities in the first-half, Ghana failed to convert their chances with Neblu, Angola’s goalkeeper, pulling off a string of saves in his man-of-the-match display. Neblu’s reflexes were the only reason the match went into the break goalless.
The Black Stars continued to push forward after the interval, but it was not until the extra time added after 90 minutes of football that they found the back of the net. Antoine Semenyo, who was brought on as a substitute by head coach Chris Hughton, scored the decisive goal to secure all three points for Ghana.
The result leaves Ghana in a strong position to qualify for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, while Angola will have to step up their game in the upcoming fixtures. As narrow a win as it was, Ghana climbed to the top of the group standings, three points clear of their opponents, who occupy the third spot.
The Palancas Negras will be looking to utilise their home advantage when the two sides meet again at the Estádio 11 de Novembro in Luanda in the reverse fixture, but Ghana will be equally motivated to seal their qualification for the tournament.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
