Full-time: Ghana 1-2 Senegal
The goal was the last kick of the game. Senegal’s players stream onto the pitch in celebration. Sow is somewhere at the bottom of a very large BUNNNNNDLE.
A long ball is launched towards Sow, who half-wins his header. Kouyate collects the ball, firing the ball into Diouf’s feet. It’s a one-touch lay off to Sow, who since winning that header had lost his marker. He feints left, then right before dragging his show across Braimah into the far corner! What a dramatic finish here!
GOAL! Ghana 1-2 Senegal (Sow 90+3)
Senegal have won it! Ghana’s player slump to the turf. They can’t believe it.
90+1 min: Senegal nearly snatch it at the last! It’s a long ball over the top with Mohammed heads it back toward his keeper who is just able to gather! He so-nearly completely missed it!
90 min: The changes have sparked new life into Ghana who, through a collection of defensive errors, win themselves a corner. Baba trots across to the right to take it, but smashes it too long. Another shocking set-piece.
88 min: A Ayew is off for Accam. Accam has played non-league football in England, but the 24-year-old has recently signed with Chicago Fire in the MLS.
86 min: Chance for Ghana! I said there was only one winner, but Jordan Ayew might have stolen it at the death. Badji sprints down the right and gets a yard to deliver a cross. Jordan steals across his marker but glances his header wide.
Ghana have had only 95 completed passes to Senegal’s 186 this second half. Was that their last chance?
82 min: What a chance for Sow! Oh no, he’ll be having nightmares about that tonight. It’s another long ball into the Ghana box, completely misjudged by Amartey, with the ball breaking to Sow. It’s on his weaker left, but at a nice height, six yards out. Sow wildly swings a boot, and hits nothing but air. He stands there astonished, head in hands, and Ghana somehow hack it away. They’re holding on here.
79 min: Senegal’s fans are going absolutely potty here. Barring a howling mistake, there’s only one winner here and they know it.
76 min: Moussa Sow is on for Senegal – he’ll be a better focal point for Senegal as they throw more crosses into the box. Strange that Cissé still hasn’t got the nod yet, he’d be tailor made for a game like this.
73 min: Once again, Senegal are their own worst enemy – giving the ball away in their own half. A Ayew has the ball and has Badji open on the right, but the pass is overhit. Wasted.
69 min: Coundoul puts his team in all kinds of trouble, throwing out a short ball to Mbodji, who is immediately put under all kinds of pressure by Wasako. Absolute suicide! Wasako is brought down on the edge of the area and Ghana, who have not been in the game at all this half, suddenly have a dangerous free-kick… which flies over, A Ayew the taker.
67 min: Change for Ghana and boy, do they need it. They’ve been battered in this second half. Atsu off, Mubarak Wakaso, on loan at Celtic from Rubin Kazam at the moment, is on. Like for like change. He is a promising player, but there are question marks over his fitness. He also scored this for Ghana against Togo a couple of months ago.
65 min: Diouf misses an absolute sitter! Another cross that Ghana fail to deal with from the left. The ball was whipped in with such pace that all the Stoke City man needed to do was guide it into the corner with his right foot, perhaps only eight yards out. Instead he goes for power, lashing at it, and skewing it wide. Giresse looks to the heavens.
63 min: Dangerous free-kick to Senegal, who are looking the far superior now. Ayew is booked for cynically bringing down Ndoye. Diop is over the ball, but the wall does its job, deflecting it behind.
60 min: Jordan Ayew was actually off the pitch when Ghana conceded after clashing with Sane. He gets an earful off his brother as he rejoins the field. Not exactly the kind of thing to want to receive when you’ve got a sore head. Not sure how much difference his presence on the field would have made to the goal.
The number of crosses that Ghana have had to defend today has been staggering and whilst Senegal’s delivery has often been poor, on this occasion Square gets it right, whipping the ball in from the left. Diouf climbs highest glancing his header towards the back post. Braimah dives but can only watch as the ball strikes the woodwork, bounces back out to Diouf who makes no mistake with the rebound!
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GOAL! Ghana 1-1 Senegal (Diouf 58)
And there it is! Senegal’s pressure tells!
55 min: Ooooo close for Senegal! Ndoye receives the ball from Badji, takes one quick touch before striking at goal. It skims low off the turf and crashes into the outside of the side-netting, with some of the Senegal fans mistakenly going up in celebration. Save for the header that crashed against the bar, that’s the closest they’ve been. Getting closer here.
52 min: Senegal’s free-kick comes to nothing. The quality of set-piece deliveries here has been poor. Ghana respond in kind: winning a corner before Ayew overhits it, out for a throw-in.
49 min: Gassana, playing in at right-back, gets his first opportunity to run at his opposite full-back Baba. The Senegalese knocks it down the touchline, but Baba has the pace to match Gassana and gets his body in between man and ball. Gassana hits the deck: free-kick to Ghana, a shocking decision. Referee is falling for a few decisions here.
47 min: Another uneven bounce, another free-kick. This time it’s for Ghana, with Gueye the offender. He’s been guilty of a number of fouls today, would not be surprised to see him get a caution soon.
Peeeep. We’re off again.
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Substitution for Senegal, as Gassana comes on for Djilibodji. Senegal switch to back four. Mbodji is still wearing gloves. It’s about 30°C in Equatorial Guinea apparently.
Half-time: Ghana 1-0 Senegal
Senegal have hit the bar, but Ghana should really be further ahead. Grant has got his tactics spot on so far.
44 min: Ghana look content to see this half out. Both Ayew’s dropping increasingly deep to win the ball back, before sending various hoofs upfield. Quality in waning as the half draws to a close.
42 min: Kouyate beginning to have more of an influence here, spraying a wonderful pass out to Badji. He’s been excellent at club level for West Ham this season alongside Alex Song, who is of course absent from this tournament with Cameroon.
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39 min: For all their possession, Senegal haven’t looked like penetrating Ghana’s five-man midfield, and have relied on long balls and set-pieces. Ghana look dangerous on the counter: this time is Jordan who gets one-on-one with Mbodji on Ghana’s right, drives to the byline and chips to the back post. Atsu arrives late and strikes a fierce first-time volley goalwards, but that’s an excellent save from Coundoul, who does well to both save and hold it.
37 min: Corner to Senegal. Delivered to the back post and Braimah comes all the way out, flapping. He’s just able to get a finger on the cross and does enough to clear.
34 min: Something to note is the state of the pitch. It has only recently been re-laid and is beginning to cut up. There have been a few slips, and as a result, more free-kicks than normal.
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32 min: Overhead kick from Diouf! The ball is floated in from the right, taking a deflection, and Diouf responds fantastically well, twisting his body before unleashing a scissor kick. It’s at a decent height for Braimah who is able to turn it over. Better from Senegal.
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28 min: Mbodj rattles the bar from yet another Senegal free kick! That was an absoutely bullet header, and the first set-piece delivery that Diop has got right. Grant will want to make sure Ghana don’t give away these cheap free-kicks.
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25 min: From the resulting chance, Mensah heads horribly wide. He saw it all the way, and was completely unmarked but completely mis-timed his head, glancing it well wide. Mensah was just six yards out there, Ghana should be 3-0 up!
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24 min: Awful, awful challenge from Ndoye on Atsu. The Senegal man was so so late there, and lucky to escape a red card. Not only did Atsu bear the brunt of Ndoye’s studs, but Atsu’s ankle also rolled, buckling under the pressure.
22 min: Golden chance for Atsu! Ayew turns his man in the middle of the field and races into space. Senegal’s defence are on their heels and Ayew’s clever reverse pass releases Atsu. It’s on his favoured left, and even though he is forced to hit it first time, the Chelsea man really should hit the target. A shocking miss, and he knows it.
20 min: Amartey tries to take on two strikers on the edge of his own box. Somehow bundles through a challenge. Ooooo close.
18 min: Another free-kick to Senegal, but this time it’s well defended. Ghana break with pace, Atsu leading the charge, who releases Mohammed down the right. It’s a poor pass though, a missed opportunity. What is evident though, as it was for the penalty, is the pace of this Ghana team. Absolutely frightening.
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16 min: Free-kick to Senegal and an opportunity to throw it into the box towards their assembling giants. It’s curled towards the back post and although Kouyate wins the first header, it loops up and a touch from Amartay means Braimah is able to gather. Ghana won’t want to give too many of those away. Avram Grant shakes his head.
GOAL! Ghana 1-0 Senegal (Andre Ayew 14)
Slams it straight down the middle as Coundoul dives to his left. Ayew races straight off the bench, where all the players and subs celebrate by taking a selfie. Ha!
1 - Since 2008 Ghana have only lost one of their 11 #AFCON group matches (W8 D2), scoring in all 11 of these games. Pedigree.
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) January 19, 2015
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Penalty to Ghana!
Absolutely no doubt about it! Senegal’s captain Coundoul brings down Atsu who raced clear of the defence and just got a toe to the ball before being clattered! Yellow card for Coundoul.
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9 min: Atsu gets his first opportunity to run at Mbodji down Ghana’s right hand side. The Chelsea man hasn’t had much opportunity to impress during his loan spell at Everton. Atsu cuts inside and is crowded out but the initial skill to get away from his marker brings the crowd first big cheer. It’s a sell out here incidentally.
6 min: Excellent diagonal ball forward by Mbodji, and Diouf races clear. He is clear of Ghana’s defence, with Amartey on his shoulder, but it’s a terrible first touch which runs through to Braimah. Diouf is furious with himself, as well he might be, one good touch and he would have had a golden chance.
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4 min: Ghana look to have quickly changed to more of a 4-5-1, with Jordan Ayew (I’ll call him Jordan from now on) falling back into midfield to squeeze the space. Andre is a lone striker and has barely had a touch yet. Ghana’s midfield simply booting the ball forward aimlessly at this point.
2 min: Senegal settle into possession but Sane pumps it forward, well collected by Ghana’s keeper Braimah. He boots it downfield, the first bounce well into Senegal’s half, the ball skips on and almost catches Coundoul unawares. Not sure how hard the ground is down there, but it bounced like it was concrete.
Peeep peeep we’re off!
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Prediction: The teams are very evenly matched: just two rankings apart in the Fifa rankings – Senegal at 35 and Ghana at 37 – but I am going to plump for Senegal: they conceded only once during qualifying and have a frightening attack, even without Sakho, Mane and Ba. Just look at their bench. They are a huge team too, six of their starting XI are 6ft2in or taller. Set pieces ahoy.
Ghana have a brand new formation, with three at the back, and have been forced into too many changes for my reckoning.
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‘GROUP OF DEATH’ KLAXON
#AFCON Its the Group of Death. A final cut of the Mongomo pitch - ready for Ghana v Senegal & Algeria v @BafanaBafana pic.twitter.com/CYcnERc1k0
— Ghana FA Official (@ghanafaofficial) January 19, 2015
The teams
Ghana 3-5-2: Brimah, Afful, Rahman, Mohammed, Mensah, Amartey, Rabiu, Badu, Atsu, A Andre, J Ayew Subs: Appiah, Gyan, Gyimah, Acquah, Mabarak, Sowah, Asante, Otoo, Dauda, Accam, Boye, Acheampong
Brothers André and Jordan to lead the line for Ghana today in the absence of Gyan, who makes the bench!
Senegal 4-4-2: Coundoul, MBodji, Square, Djilobodji, L Sane, Badji, Kouyate, Diop, Gueye, Diouf, Ndoye Subs Gomis, Camara, Gassana, Sane, Toure, Mbengue, Ndiaye, Mbengue, S Sane, Konate, Saivet, Cisse, Sow, Mane
Papiss Cissé on the bench!
#GHASEN team sheets.#AFCON2015 pic.twitter.com/N1THDmKmfi
— Wo zai Eq.Guinea (@eastsportsman) January 19, 2015
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The managers
Senegal: Alain Giresse, best known for being one quarter of France’s infamous Carré Magique, and described by The Guardian’s Rob Smyth as “the sort of squeaky-clean footballer you’d be proud to take home to your mother”. This is Giresse’s third Africa Cup of Nations, having managed Gabon in 2010, and Mali in 2013.
Ghana: Avram Grant, best known for leading Chelsea to a Champions League final penalty shootout and doing funny things with his hands: here, here and here. This is his first time in charge of an African nation. No pressure…
He’s also just done a quick Q&A with the Guardian, which was good of him.
You’ve probably been asked a lot of times but what’s the secret to bagging an ambitious, beautiful, and glamorous woman like your wife, Tzufit? Five things: Be yourself. Be confident. Be honest. Appeal to her brains and not what you see outside. And then … if all these fail, give me a call!
To read the full interview, click here.
If you’re wondering what has happened to all of the African managers, have a read of Usher Komugisha’s blog. It’s a good’un.
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Preamble
It’s not a bad way to kick off Group C is it? Two genuine heavyweights of Africa going toe to toe, and while a defeat would not mean a knockout blow – in a group that also includes South Africa and the joint favourites to win the tournament, Algeria – it would be a huge setback.
Whilst these two teams include some of the continent’s most prestigious talents, it is the absences which loom largest here. For Ghana, captain Asamoah Gyan is lost to what is apparently a ‘mild’ bout of malaria (although he is expected to return for Algeria on Friday), whilst defender John Boye was rushed to hospital on Sunday with fever. Milan’s Michael Essien was not included in the tournament squad whilst Kevin-Prince Boateng and Sulley Muntari remain on indefinite leave following alleged indisciplined at the World Cup last summer. Hardly the most ideal preparations for manager Avram Grant, who was parachuted in last month and Ghana’s third manager in six months.
Senegal have absentees of their own: namely Demba Ba, who despite being in good form at club level for Besiktas, was not included. Baffling, and it’s fair to say that the former Newcastle and Chelsea man wasn’t best pleased at manager Alain Giresse.
I can't wait to hear his excuses and destroy them one by one #CAN2015 #senegal
— Demba Ba (@dembabafoot) December 26, 2014
And that’s not all: West Ham’s Diafra Sakho has been ruled out of Senegal’s Africa Cup squad with a back problem – something Sam Allardyce blamed on a medical ‘mishap’ – while Southampton’s Sadio Mane is also out through injury.
That said, it’s not a bad way to kick off Group C is it? Two genuine heavyweights of Africa going toe to toe, and while a defeat would not mean a knockout blow – in a group that also includes South Africa and the joint favourites to win the tournament, Algeria – it would be a huge setback.
Intrigue over selection, off-field drama, a wealth of on-field talent, enigmatic coaches, and arguably the liveliest fans in the world, this is the Africa Cup of Nations we know and love.
Kick-off: 4pm GMT
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