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The Black Stars were defeated 3-0 in their first game with their new head coach.
CK Akonnor’s tenure in Ghana got off to a disappointing start on Friday when the Black Stars were defeated 3-0 by Mali at the Emir Hotel Sports Complex in Antalya.
Hamari Traore opened the scoring for the Eagles in the third minute with an excellent shot from point blank range after driving down the right wing and evading a challenge from Gideon Mensah.
Stade de Reims wonder boy and Eagles rookie El-Bilal Touré doubled Mali’s lead early in the second half with a good cross from Mali’s right, before Amadou Haidara added a third. 15 minutes from the end.
The Francophone team dominated possession during the early stages, with a Ghanaian team containing rookies Tarique Fosu (Brentford) and Alexander Djiku (Strasbourg) struggling to find their rhythm.
Ghana took 25 minutes to make their first attempt, when the spirited Bernard Mensah selected Jordan Ayew, but the effort from the Crystal Palace forward flew over the bar.
Steadily, Ghana grew in the competition, and moments later, Jordan sent another opportunity after the excellent interaction of his brother Andre and Arsenal’s new kid, Thomas Partey.
Akonnor will also regret the misfortune on his side with injuries.
Eugene Ansah was forced to leave by Kamaldeen Suleyman with injury late in the first half, while Mensah was retired by Emmanuel Lomotey shortly after the break.
Just after the hour, Ghana were also forced to replace Nicholas Opoku with Joseph Aidoo after the center-back limped away with injury.
With 20 minutes remaining, Akonnor turned to Caleb Ekuban to replace Gideon Mensah, but five minutes later Ghana was 3-0 down after Haidara added the Eagles’ third.
Black Stars fans will be disappointed with their team’s defensive display, particularly considering that Ghana had only conceded 13 goals in their last 10 matches against Mali.
Similarly, they had only been defeated once by the Eagles in the previous five games between regional rivals.
The Black Stars will look to make amends when they face Qatar in another international friendly on Monday, while Mali will face Iran on Tuesday.
