The 4-0 walloping of Benin by the Black Satellites of Ghana yesterday did not only ensure a grand final berth for the team but also gave the West African Football Union (WAFU)/ECOWAS Cup tournament at the Ohene Djan Stadium a grand opening.
A hat-trick from Prince Tagoe and a 55th minute strike by Mark Amofa threw the Beninois out of gear completely. After a slow start in the first half,the Satellites midfield,manned by Anthony Annan, Hamza Abdulai and Mark Amofa,found their rhythm and pushed forward the attackers to bang in the goals.
After several failed attempts at goal,Prince Tagoe shot the Satellites into the lead in the 40th minute after drilling home a powerful shot from an acute angle on the right.
That increased the confidence of the Ghanaians who overpowered the Beninois who made a few attempts at goal. Mark Amofa made it two for the Satellites when he dashed 40 metres from the left,wove his way through the Beninois defence before shooting the ball past goalkeeper Atindokpo Arnaud.
In the 74th minute,Prince Tagoe was on hand again as he cleverly dribbled his marker and shot the ball past the Beninois goalie.
Tagoe was to hit a hat-trick three minutes later to seal the doom of the Beninois after finishing off a beautiful pass from Harrison Afful.
The Beninois came close to redeeming a goal but the Satellites defence of Daniel Asamoah,Emmanuel Anarfi and Harrison Afful stood tall to deny them a consolation.
The Beninois had to play a greater part of the second half without midfielder Nassirou Youssouf,who received a red card in the 60th minute.
The Satellites dominated play from that stage, with Anthony Annan taking full control of the midfield with his cleverly-executed passes,shots and ball control,to the delight of the fans.
After the match, Prince Tagoe was adjudged the best player of the match by the Technical Committee.
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