Jordan was great against South Korea
In the 79th minute of Ghana’s game against Portugal, Jordan Ayew who had entered the pitch barely two minutes earlier failed to trap a pass by Thomas Partey. What followed was a quick display by the Portuguese which led to the goal that ultimately condemned Ghana to a 3-2 defeat.
The daggers, as expected were thus out in full force with the head of not only Jordan Ayew but his brother, Andre Ayew on the chopping board.
Loud were the critics, vile, raucous, abusive and somehow disrespectful of their father, the legendary Abedi Pele whose only crime, it appears, was to produce two gifted talents.
But this harsh and unfair treatment of the Ayews, particularly Jordan is not unusual to him or any member of his family. That’s what you get from being part of football royalty in a country obsessed with the game and has people who it can be argued, genuinely detest successful people.
Whereas the perks around being part of such a family is great, it also exposes you as a low-hanging fruit for abusers and to stretch it, haters.
In an interview with GhanaWeb’s Daniel Oduro, Andre Ayew, Jordan's senior brother and captain of the Black Stars said; most often than not, some of these criticisms and abuses targeted at Jordan Ayew are borne out of pure dislike for his family and not his display on the pitch.
"It's not the first time (that Jordan has played well)... I think he's just someone that people just want to speak bad about but they in their hearts know the kind of quality that he is...".
Andre Ayew’s comment came in the aftermath of a game where Jordan Ayew, yet again, served his critics a hot and spicy humble pie, perhaps with chilled fruit juice.
The presence of his name and that of his brother, Andre Ayew on the starting team drew the ire of some Ghanaians who even before referee Anthony Taylor whistled for the start of the game were having a go at Jordan Ayew following that Portugal blip.
But as has always been the case, when the stakes are high and the insults are loudest, that is where the Ayews pop up like a volcano and deliver masterstroke performances.
If Ghana were two goals up by the 40th minute against South Korea it was largely due to Jordan Ayew’s prodigious display. The first of Ghana's opening two goals was a good swing from Jordan from a set piece. The second was another incredible in-swinger by Jordan Ayew which was tipped into the net by Mohammed Kudus.
Goals aside, Jordan Ayew was outstanding. The part of his game that makes him the pick of many coaches to the dismay of supporters is his industriousness. Jordan may not give you goals or assists but he is the one who does the basic things that free up spaces and opportunities for your favorite players to thrive.
His hold-up play and ability to draw the Koreans out of their shells. His ability to draw fouls and disrupt opponent play is what Otto Addo will be most proud of as that became the escape route on most occasions for the Ghana team.
His stats at the end of the first half of the game against South Korea read “27 touches, 100% tackles won, 91% passing accuracy, 3 recoveries and 2 key passes, 1 chance created.
Whiles Tariq Lamptey was left exposed on the right side of the Ghanaian defence, Gideon Mensah enjoyed the cover of Jordan Ayew who marauded the left flank and excelled as both an attacker and a defensive cover.
In all, it was a sterling display by Jordan Ayew and the fact that he trended on Ghanaian social media platforms for positive reviews is testament to how he forced his critics into waving the white flag.
Author: Perez Erzoah Kwaw
