Both teams barely created chances, however, a VAR decision rescinded a penalty that was awarded to Nigeria in the 79th minute.
SPORTS
Player Ratings: How the Black Stars fared in their pulsating draw against Nigeria.
The Ghana Black Stars played a goalless draw with the Super Eagles of Nigeria in the first leg of the World Cup playoff in Kumasi.
Debutant Ghanaian player, Felix Afena-Gyan showed glimpses of quality as he was a menace for the Nigerian defence throughout the game.
The second leg will come off in Abuja on 29th March to see which country will qualify for the World Cup in Qatar 2022.
Below is how the starting 11 of the Black Stars fared:
Jojo Wolacott: 5/10 – Jojo had little to do in the entire game and he made a huge save in the second half from Moses Simon that ensure that the game ended goalless.
Denis Odoi: 6/10 – The Club Brugge’s defender couldn’t have asked for a better debut. He made runs into the Nigerian half and was barely troubled on the right by Moses Simon.
Gideon Mensah: 6/10 – Deputizing for the injured Baba Rahman, Gideon Mensah made the left back position his own with a solid performance. Much as he handled Villareal’s Chukwueze perfectly well, he was able to also to get to the Nigerian on a couple of occasions to deliver crosses.
Daniel Amartey was not a part of the solution for Ghana, so he was part of the problem (IMAGO/Shengolpixs/Gabriel Ahiabor/CHENDAYE)
Daniel Amartey: 6/10 – The Leicester City defender was excellent on the night. He was very tidy at the back by heading out most of the dangerous balls by the Nigerians. Amartey’s experience coupled with Djiku’s youthful exuberance helped the Black Stars to keep a clean sheet heading into the second leg.
Alexander Djiku: 7/10 – The Strassbourg defender barely put a foot wrong in the game. With Ghana dominating the possession, Djiku had little to do defensively earlier on but he was very instrumental in the second half. Djiku was one of the main reasons Ghana kept a clean sheet.
Fatawu Issahaku: 5/10 – The Sporting CP midfielder was one of the brightest sparks In the first half. He made daunting incursions into the Nigerian half in the first half but not much was seen of him in the second half.
Thomas Partey: 4/10 – It was another lackluster performance from the Arsenal midfielder. Being the captain of the day, a lot of expectations were on Partey to propel the team from midfield. However, his was poor. He gave the ball away a lot of times and failed to create anything meaningful from midfield.
Thomas Partey is vital for Ghana’s midfield play (Thomas Partey / Instagram)
Baba Iddrisu: 5/10 – The Mallorca midfielder breathed a huge sigh of relief when VAR overturned a penalty kick for Nigeria from a mistake he made. He, however, played well in front of the back four with good interceptions and disruptive plays.
Kudus Mohammed: 7/10 – Despite his lack of game time for Ajax Amsterdam, Kudus Mohammed dominated the midfield for the Black Stars and was very instrumental in the few chances Ghana created. One of the best players for the Black Stars in the game.
Jordan Ayew: 5/10 – The striker struggled to get himself in the game. Couldn’t get the supplies he was craving for throughout his stay on the pitch. It was a bad day for the Crystal Palace player
Felix Afena-Gyan: 7/10 – What a debut for the AS Roma striker. The 19-year old was menace for the Nigerian defensive pairing of Troost Ekong and Leon Balogun throughout the game. His hold-up play was superb and his pace was electrifying.
