June 14, (THEWILL) – On Tuesday, Ghanaian goalkeeper Abdul Manaf Nurudeen, saved two penalties, as nine-man Black Stars’ squad finished in third place at the Kirin Cup event in Japan, defeating Chile via a penalty shootout.
The game had to be decided from the spot-kick, after a tense 90 minutes of play, with Jordan Ayew, Mohammed Kudus, and Fatawu Issahaku all converting for the Black Stars.
Ghana had the better start to the game, as the West Africans masterfully controlled possession, but failied to create clear-cut chances. The Black Stars continued to flood the Chilean half, but the South Americans stood firm in defiance.
Ghana came close after the break, with attacker Benjamin Tetteh’s shot hitting the crossbar. Andre Ayew forced a fine stop from Chile’s goalkeeper moments later, before Afena-Gyan also struck from 30 yards.
Following a miskick, Clermont Foot defender, Alidu Seidu was red carded for hitting a Chilean, reducing Ghana to 10 men. The Black Stars’ terrible luck continued as midfielder Mubarak Wakaso was sent off for a second yellow card.
The Chileans dominated the final 10 minutes with the two-man numerical advantage with Gary Medel coming close with a long-range goal. However, third place had to be decided via penalties after the match finished goalless.
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.
