Category: Sport

Back from international duty, African stars continued to shine across the top European leagues this weekend.

 

SuperSport highlights some of the top performers.

 

THOMAS PARTEY (GHANA & ARSENAL)

Partey had sat out Ghana’s two World Cup warm-up friendlies against Brazil and Nicaragua but returned to the Arsenal lineup on Saturday as they beat north London rivals Tottenham Hotspur to stay top of the Premier League. Partey’s sublime 20th-minute effort got the victory underway as the Gunners won a major morale booster.

 

PIERRE EMERICK AUBAMEYANG (GABON & CHELSEA)

Aubameyang reaffirmed his quality – and commitment to his new club – with a well-taken goal, expertly hit on the tun, as Chelsea came from behind to win 2-1 at Selhurst Park. Hosts Crystal Palace had taken the lead but Aubameyang had the Blues level before the break with his first league goal for his new club, who will now be relying on him in the Champions League against AC Milan on Wednesday.

 

JORDAN AYEW (GHANA & CRYSTAL PALACE)

Palace were seeking to end a three-match winless run in the league when they came up against Chelsea and were on the right path early on in the game as Ayew, fresh from international duty, curled in an inch-perfect pass from the right to allow Frenchman Odsonne Edouard to touch home from close range.

 

MOHAMED SALAH (EGYPT & LIVERPOOL)

Last season’s joint top scorer in the Premier League is still looking for his first league goal this term but, at the same time, is still contributing to the team. It was his deft touch, pulling an aerial pass from Jordan Henderson down and across the face of goal, that set up Roberto Firmino as Liverpool came from 2-0 down to draw 3-3 at home with Brighton & Hove Albion.

 

JOE ARIBO (NIGERIA & SOUTHAMPTON)

The London-born Super Eagle claimed a second goal for Southampton since his move south from Glasgow Rangers as he hammered in a left-footed effort to give his side the lead at home against Everton on Saturday. But it proved part of a losing cause as the Toffees fought back to win.

 

ALEX IWOBI (NIGERIA & EVERTON)

Iwobi’s assist for Everton handed them a much-needed 2-1 victory away against Southampton on Saturday with the Nigerian continuing his fine form, hitting in a pass with the outside of his foot over the home defence that went through to Dwight McNeil on the left for the new signing to slam home.

 

FODE BALLO-TOURE (SENEGAL & AC MILAN)

Ballo Toure could not have scored a more dramatic first Serie A goal than his last gasp effort as defending champions Milan snatched all three points at Empoli. They took the lead with 12 minutes left but then saw their hosts equalise in stoppage time, only to go immediately back downfield and see the Senegal fullback snatch the result.

 

ANDRE-FRANK ZAMBO ANGUISSA (CAMEROON & NAPOLI)

The Indomitable Lions midfielder had not scored a league goal since mid-2020, when he was playing at Villarreal, but got two goals in the space of six minutes to put Napoli on their way to a comfortable 3-1 home win over Torino on Saturday. The first was a header as he stalked late into the box and the second was a superb individual effort as he ran down from deep in his own half to finish.

 

ADEMOLA LOOKMAN (NIGERIA & ATALANTA)

Former Everton and Leicester City midfielder Lookman has settled down quickly to his new Serie A career and scored his second goal of the season to see Atalanta to a 1-0 triumph over Fiorentina on Sunday.

 

INAKI WILLIAMS (GHANA & ATHLETIC BILBAO)

After a successful debut for the Black Stars in the international window, there was barely time for Williams to recover as he featured for Bilbao in Friday’s 4-0 home triumph over America, contributing the opening goal with a glancing header in the 11th minute.

 

 

 

Source: Modern Ghana

Nigeria has retained its Middle East Africa rugby league championship title after thrashing hosts Ghana 30-4 in the final at a rainy University of Ghana Sarbah field in Legon, Accra on Saturday, October 1, 2022.

 

This was a perfect gift from the players to the country on independence day by becoming the first side to retain the MEA Championship.

 

Led by young Betfred Super League players, St Helens’ half back Rio-Osayomwanbo Corkill and try scoring Hull KR back rower Daniel Okoro, the green hocks were too strong in the first half, establishing a 22-0 lead at the break.

 

Ghana picked up momentum at the start of the second half, scoring their first try courtesy Bless Mensah but couldn’t get anymore in the game.

 

Nigeria continued to dominate and added two tries to finish the game with a thumping storyline.

 

Nigeria posted six tries, the opener from former London and Castleford three-quarter Tuoyo Egodo, loose forward Michael Ayodeji adding two to three he posted in the semi final. Gabriel John, who was voted man of the tournament, landed three goals.

 

“It was a fantastic occasion, the guys played really well,” said Nigeria head coach for the tournament, former professional Bolu Fagborun. “I wanted them to start hot and they did, kicked well, put Ghana under pressure and to play in the right parts of the field, they handled the conditions really well. We spoke a lot during the week about what this tournament meant for us and seeing whether this team can take us all the way to France 2025 and the World Cup, we really have challenged them to progress and they showed their ambition in the sport. This region has a lot of potential.”

 

Ghana spurned a number of chances in the wet but the Leopards will join Nigeria in the 2023 MEA Cup, which will act as a qualifier for the 2025 Rugby League World Cup . “Obviously we are very disappointed,” said head coach Andy Gilvary, “But you can’t play for only 40 minutes against Nigeria and expect to get a result. Too many errors early in the tackle count cost is dearly but credit to the boys, they dug in for the second half and turned it around. Nigeria are a slick outfit and we are not far off.”

 

NIGERIA 30

 

Daniel John, Isah Lawal, Tuoyo Egodo, Olisa Kelvin, Abdallah Balogun, Gabriel John, Rio Osayomwanbo, Ibrahim Suraj, Isa Omale, Emmanuel Onyekwe , Jude Abrackson, Daniel Okoro, Michael Ayodeji

 

(subs): Julian Godwin, Bashir Usman, Azuka Chika, Yuseef Akeem

 

Tries: Egodo (15), Ayodeji (20, 67), Okoro (25), Osman (39), Lawal (76)

 

Goals: John 3/6

 

GHANA 4

 

Isaac Akuoko, Chris da Gama, John Bless Mensah, Desmond Geotrah, William Pearce Biney, Collins Ofosu, Sean Sabutey, Riddick Alibah, Philip Asomani, Nigel Sackey, Emmanuel AcheamPong, Bahah Bright, Oliver Puman

 

(Subs): Jonas Moorkaar, Levi Osei, Jordan Annan, Jonathon Adotey

 

Tries: Bless Mensah (44)

 

Goals: Da Gama 0/1

 

 

 

Source: Modern Ghana

Veteran Ghanaian trainer, Annor Walker has described Hearts of Oak as a big club adding that he is willing to join the club.

 

The Phobian Club is currently without a substantive head coach following the dismissal of Samuel Boadu after a poor start to the 2022/23 Ghana Premier League season.

 

The club on Sunday however announced David Ocloo as the assistant coach ahead of their CAF Confederations Cup game against Real Bamako on Saturday.

 

However, Annor Walker speaking in an interview revealed that even though he is the head coach of Premier League debutants, FC Samartex 1996 but he is still open to join the FA Cup champions.

 

“Accra Hearts of Oak is a big club and I am willing to join them if they agree everything with FC Samartex,” the former Great Olympics manager said.

 

Walker is currentky also the head coach of the Black Galaxies and has steered the side to the 2022 CHAN tournament scheduled to be hosted in Algeria next year.

 

 

 

Source: Modern Ghana

FC Samartex head coach, Annor Walker, has revealed that he is under pressure from the management of Accra Hearts of Oak to join the club.

 

The Rainbow Club are currently in search for a new head coach following the dismissial of Samuel Boadu after a poor start to the 2022/23 Ghana Premier League season.

 

However, the club on Sunday appointed David Dickson Ocloo as assistant coach while they work around to appoint a substantive manager.

 

“For about two weeks now, I am not free in the hands of Hearts of Oak if I’m not telling lies. They are giving me pressure [to leave Samartex],” he said as reported by Ghana Sports Page.

 

“Let me ask if your husband or wife is taking good care of you and others want to snatch you will you go? It has affected me, talking about the Hearts of Oak job because I was with them in Accra but they couldn’t approach me now that they are tagging and calling me whiles I’m in Samartex.”

 

“There is pressure on me because they are calling me but I’ve told them everything but still they don’t understand. Some of the supporters are also calling.

 

“I am in Algeria now for the CHAN draw. I will know what to do when I touch down in Ghana but I’ve told them to discuss it with Samartex.”

 

However, Walker, who doubles as the head coach of the Black Galaxies said he was open to joining Hearts of Oak only if the club is able to reach an agreement with Samartex FC.

 

“Though I am in a good relationship with Samartex now if they want me to go I can come and help Hearts of Oak. I will be ready to help them but it will depend on Samartex,” he told Ghanasportpage.com

 

Hearts of Oak will be in action in the CAF Confederation Cup against AS Bamako on Saturday in Mali.

 

 

 

Source: Modern Ghana

Mohammed Kudus has been named in Eredivisie’s Team of the Month following his impressive performance during September.

 

The Ghana international delivered an outstanding performance during the just-ended month after being given the nod ahead of Brian Brobbey in the Ajax starting line-up.

 

The 22-year-old has scored 7 goals and provided 1 assist in 11 matches in the ongoing season for the Dutch giants with six of his goals coming in September.

 

His performance was too good to go unnoticed as he has been listed in the September Team of the Month.

Kudus will be hoping to keep his performance for the Dutch giants side intact as he fights to maintain his place in the team.

 

 

 

Source: Modern Ghana

Accra Hearts of Oak are in talks to appoint Dutch trainer Erik van der Meer as the club’s new head coach, according to local media reports.

The reigning FA Cup winners are currently without a substantive head coach following the departure of Samuel Boadu after two years at the club.

Hearts of Oak have been poor in the ongoing 2022/23 Ghana Premier League campaign, losing one and drawing two in their first three games, and are yet to register a win in their last eight league games.

Boadu has left the club together with his backroom staff.

According to media reports, Hearts of Oak are on the verge of appointing the Dutch gaffer to lead the club as technical director and head coach of the side for the rest of the season.

Van der Meer was at the Baba Yara Stadium in Kumasi on Sunday to watch the club’s 1-1 stalemate against Kotoko which ended 1-1 and an official announcement is imminent.

Van de Meer holds a UEFA Pro Licence and has been unattached since leaving his Saudi Arabia U20 job in March 2021.

He has previously handled Qatar SC, Honved Budapest, PFK Stal Kamyanske, Frenz United, and Al Ahli Doha amongst others.

The Dutch tactician has also been in charge as an academy manager of Ukrainian side Metalurg Donetsk and director of football at Qatari club Al Shamal SC.

 

Source: Modern Ghana

 

A solitary strike from Abdul Fatawu Issahaku led Ghana to a 1-0 win over Nicaragua on Tuesday, September 27, 2022.

The Black Stars today played against the national team of the Central American national team in a game staged at the Estadio Francisco Artes Carrasco in Lorca, Spain.

In a game where Ghana was expected to dominate play, the team did just that but failed to really impress.

The Black Stars played with no urgency after taking the lead through Abdul Fatawu Issahaku in the 35^th minute and wasted several goal-scoring opportunities.

For a side preparing for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, the performance against a very low-ranked national team was not impressive.

Although the Black Stars secured a win, there is cause for concern especially with less than two months to go for this year’s mundial to commence.

Ghana next will face off with Switzerland in a final friendly match in November before travelling to Qatar for the World Cup.

From now to that time, Coach Otto Addo and his technical team have a lot of work to do to get the team ready for the challenge ahead.

At the 2022 FIFA World Cup, Ghana has been pitted in Group H to face off with Portugal, Uruguay, and South Korea.

 

 

Source: Modern Ghana

 

“We are calling on civil society groups, chiefs, religious and traditional leaders, to help to talk about HIV and AIDS in the communities so that we prevent new infections,” Dr. Stephen Ayisi Addo, Programme Manager at the National AIDS/STI Control Programme (NACP) has stated.

He noted that, unlike other health conditions, HIV is cumulative so anyone who tests positive will be adding to the numbers and over time it will become overwhelming, therefore, he appealed to the public to support People Living with HIV and AIDS in the communities to help reduce stigmatization and discrimination.

Dr. Ayisi Addo stated at the Ghana News Agency Tema Regional Office’s Industrial News Hub Boardroom Dialogue platform, which was monitored by the Communication for Development and Advocacy Consult (CDA Consult) in Tema.

The GNA Tema Industrial News Hub Boardroom Dialogue is a media think-tank platform for state and non-state and commercial and business operators to communicate to the world.

“Let us collectively intensify the education on HIV prevention until a cure or vaccine is found to prevent new infections or reduce the number of positive patients,” Dr Ayisi Addo noted.

Dr Ayisi Addo recommended that an enabling environment be created to motivate people to know their status and rather not point fingers at those who have declared their status or look down on them since that will cause them to hide and in effect place others at risk.

The NACP Programme Manager also advised HIV patients on treatment to adhere to their schedule because as long as they take their medication, the virus was suppressed, undetectable and cannot be transmitted. When they withdraw, the virus comes back again.

“The message now is there is treatment so even if you know your status, it is not a death sentence,” he said, stressing that whereas the face of HIV had changed, the problem persisted and there were conditions to continue to stay healthy even when one tested positive.

In addition, he said that people living with HIV had the same life expectancy even more than other people because of treatment.

Mr Francis Ameyibor, Regional Manager, Ghana News Agency, Tema, said the Agency’s Regional Office has shaped itself as a vanguard for industrial communication and a catalyst for change to promote national development.

He said with Tema as an industrial nerve of the country, it was reasonable for the GNA regional office to position itself to become the frontline of industrial communication to advance the country’s growth.

Therefore, he noted that the regional office of the Agency had developed systematic pillars on which pragmatic journalism hinged; including a mechanism to deepen the working relationship with its stakeholders, to ensure that both the media and the corporate world worked toward national development.

 

Source: Modern Ghana