Five talking points from Ghana’s defeat to Portugal

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Thu 24th Nov, 2022 20:09

Portugal came out on top in a pulsating affair against Ghana.

Cristiano Ronaldo, Rafael Leao and Joao Felix found the net for the European side whilst Andre Ayew and Osman Bukari netted for the Black Stars.

All five goals came in the second half.

Here are five talking points from the game.

An encouraging performance by Black Stars

Many expected the Black Stars to fall heavily against Portugal today. But it was a completely different story.

Despite going down 3-1 to the 2016 Euro winners, Otto Addo’s men showed grit until the final whistle.

Although the team lost, the overall performance tells fans that this team can do wonders when given ample time.

Thomas Partey was a shadow of himself

This season at club level, Partey has been hailed as one of the best midfielders in the World.

A lot of the expectations fell on his strong shoulders against the Portuguese midfield.

But for most parts of the game, he misplaced passes, struggled to beat the press and looked lost.

With the likes of Daniel Kofi Kyereh and Elisha Owusu knocking on the door, the Arsenal man needs to step up his game.

Otto Addo shouldn’t have taken Kudus off

In the first half, many would have wanted Kudus to come off for someone else.

But when the game was 1-1, fans were left shocked by Otto Addo’s decision to take the Ajax man off and for good reason.

He had improved massively with his dribbling and passing. He in fact set up Andre Ayew’s equalizer and looked to be the man to make the difference.

Otto Addo drew criticism for making the switch. He would do well to learn from that.

Jordan Ayew isn’t at the Black Stars level anymore

Over the years, Jordan Ayew has drawn criticism from fans for his subpar performances.

If he was to make a real statement, this was the stage to do it. He did make a statement, but it was the wrong one.

The Crystal Palace man was virtually at fault for Portugal’s second and third goals shortly after coming on.

His presence seemingly disrupts progress made by other members of the squad and should be left out for the foreseeable future.

Time to bench Baba Rahman for Gideon Mensah

Most Ghanaian fans had positives from the game. When asked about the negatives, Baba Rahman’s name comes up first.

It is no surprise. The Reading man, apart from his assists to Osman Bukari, was very inefficient.

From failing to bomb forward for chances to losing out on possession. That was the story for Baba for most of the game.

It is time for Otto Addo to give Gideon Mensah, Baba’s direct competitor, a chance to show what he is made of.