In the final game of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualification series, the Black Stars and Islands drew 0-0 on Sunday, June 18.
The Black Stars’ inability to score even one goal, according to Coach Chris Hughton, is the most discouraging aspect of the game.
“We are very disappointed. We came here with the attitude and mindset to win. To win a football match you need to score goals. We found it difficult. We needed to be more forceful to create more opportunities to score.
“The fact that we didn’t score is the most disappointing thing,” Black Stars head coach Chris Hughton said in his post-match interview.
The draw today means Ghana’s qualification to the 2023 AFCON has been delayed.
In March 2023, the Black Stars will play Angola twice as part of the AFCON qualifying tournament.
Some young, talented players have come to the attention of Black Stars coach Chris Hughton as he decides which players to call up for the upcoming matches.
This article will examine five players and explain why they ought to be on the Black Stars roster for the upcoming games.
Here are the five players who could make the squad
Ernest Nuamah
Ernest Nuamah plies his trade with Danish Superliga club FC Nordsjælland.
The forward made his professional debut in 2018 and has since become a key member of the squad, scoring seven goals in the 2019-20 season.
Derrick Kohn is a defender for Hannover 96 in the German Bundesliga. He joined the club in 2019 and has since become a regular starter, making 22 appearances in the current season. The young defender has scored 2 goals with 4 assists. He has played for Germany’s youth side only once.
Ransford Yeboah Konigsdorffer
Ransford Yeboah Konigsdorffer is a right winger for Bundesliga 2 club Hamburger SV. The forward was one of the players who switched nationalities to play for Ghana last year. He made his debut for Ghana in the friendlies against Brazil and Nicaragua but was not included in the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Konigsdorffer could make his return to the Black Stars in the AFCON Qualifiers having scored 6 in 20 appearances.
Brenden Wiredu
Brenden Wiredu is a midfielder for English League One club Fleetwood Town. The player has been a regular starter for his club this season and has featured in 25 games with 1 goal and an assist. Although Ghana has many players in midfield, Wiredu is one of the players Ghana can tie down before England snaps on the young chap.
Patric Pfeiffer
Among all the players to have switched nationalities for Ghana in 2022, Patric Pfeiffer remains the only player to have not received any call-up yet. The SV Darmstadt 98 defender in the German Bundesliga 2 is a strong shield in defence and has a good eye for goal due to his height. This season has scored 4 goals with his head in 16 appearances for his side.
Ibrahim Sadiq
The former Ghana under-17 youth star has been in blistering form for BK Hacken in the Swedish Allsvenskan. The 22-year-old has scored 7 goals in 19 matches for his club this season. He recently scored a hat-trick against Trollhattan in his side’s 6-1 win. Sadiq has also represented Ghana at the under-20 and under-23 levels.
