Five lessons learnt from Ghana's win over Angola

Black Stars picked up a slim victory over Angola in their round three fixture of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers on Thursday, March 23.

Antoine Semenyo secured the victory at the death with his last grasp rebound shot to hand Ghana a hard-fought 1-0 win.

Ghana have now extended their lead at the top of Group E and would need a win in the fourth round to seal their qualification for the AFCON.

Many lessons were unpacked prior, during, and after the game that deserves to be noted.

Here are five lessons learnt from Ghana's victory over Angola:

Baba Yara Stadium pitch needs improvement

The Black Stars were dominant but could not showcase at least one exciting passing movement as the fans would want. There were many unforced errors in their passing for players who play high-level football in Europe.

According to several reports, the pitch was in good condition in terms of colour but had a lot of issues including a high grass and undulating surface that affected the movement of the ball.

This means, despite Baba Yara Stadium going through renovation in recent years, there is still more work to be done, specifically on the field.

Kumasi proves why it is the Ghana Football Cathedral

Ashanti Regional capital, Kumasi, has been dubbed as the Cathedral of Ghana Football and it was yet again proven.

Ghana vs Angola is not a category-A fixture but the fans made it look like one by filling the stadium to the brim with a charging atmosphere.

They stayed with the team throughout the game and nearly brought the stadium down after Antoine Semenyo's late strike.

The scenes during the goal celebration were visually appealing.

Chris Hughton needs to improve Ghana's attack

Black Stars won the game by a goal to nil but the scoreline could have been bigger if the attacking line had good chemistry.

The lack of cohesion in the final third led to poor runs and poor decision making which made Ghana struggle in breaking down the Angola defense.

Chris Houghton will have more work to do by improving how the team should play in attacking areas, especially the movement of the player and while entreating his players to be decisive.

Ghana created 11 chances (4 big chances), attempted 21 shots, and managed only 9 on target, scoring one.

The current squad has strong team bonding

The unity among the players continues to be evident, game in and game out. In recent games, the players have been celebrating goals together with the bench running across the pitch join.

Although scoring a late winner triggers wild celebration, for this group it was another day to be happy that a teammate is on the scoresheet and the team is winning.

Black Stars have a bright future

The game against Angola showed that the Black Stars are currently talent packed in all areas on the field.

Black Stars skipper, Andre Ayew was a used sub while first-choice centre-back Mohammed Salisu was ruled through a minor injury. However, Chris Hughton filled a side that the two key players were not missed in the game.

When the going got tough, he introduced Salis Samed, Joseph Paintsil, and Antoine Semenyo and the trio changed the dynamics of the game and won it at the death.

Salis give the team more control, Paintsil won the free kick that led to the goal and Semenyo smashed in the winner.

This means the Black Stars transition is on the right track.

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