Black Stars Head Coach Otto Addo has announced a 26-man squad for the African Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers against Angola and Niger which take place during this international break.
The Black Stars will face Angola at the Baba Yara Stadium on September 5 before travelling to take on Niger on September 9, 2024.
B&FT highlights some performances of the players invited for these two games. Two of the three goalkeepers invited by the coach were in action for their clubs.
Lawrence Ati Zigi and Joseph Wollacott were both in action for their respective clubs in Switzerland and England.
Lawrence Ati was solid for St. Gallen and helped to secure a vital point away against Lugano in the Swiss Super League following a 1-1 draw, while Joseph Luke Wollacott conceded three goals in Crawley Town’s 3-0 defeat to Barnsley in the English League One on Saturday.
The Kumasi Asante Kotoko star Frederick Asare was inactive over the weekend, as the club is still in the pre-season stage.
The Defenders
In the Spanish La Liga, Abdul Mumin, played 90 minutes of action for Rayo Vallecano in their 2-1 defeat to Espanyol. In the French Ligue 1, Alidu Seidu played 27 minutes for Rennes in their 2-1 defeat to Reims.
In Turkey, Jerome Opoku played at full throttle for Basaksehir in their 5-0 win over Antalyaspor while Kingsley Schindler played 60 minutes for Samsunspor in their 1-0 win over Gaziantep.
Ebenezer Annan saw 45 minutes of action for OFK Beograd in their 3-1 win over Napredak in the Serbian top flight league.
Tariq Lamptey wasn’t in Brighton’s squad for their game against Arsenal, which ended in a 1-1 draw, and Mohammed Salisu was an unused substitute for Monaco in their 1-1 draw against Lens.
Midfielders
The English Premier League (EPL) came alive with some electrifying fireworks from the likes of Mohammed Kudus, Thomas Partey, Jordan Ayew, Abdul Fatawu Issahaku and Antoine Semenyo, both as midfielders and attackers.
Mohammed Kudus was in action for West Ham United against champions Manchester City as his side lost 3-1. Kudus came close to scoring a second goal for his club but was denied by the woodwork.
Thomas Partey, on the other hand, was phenomenal in delivering a masterclass performance as a defensive midfielder – but unfortunately Arsenal drew 1-1 against Brighton at the Emirates Stadium. However, its worth noting that Partey scored a spectacular goal for Arsenal to secure a 2-0 win in their previous game against Aston Villa.
Elisha Owusu was in action for Auxerre as they lost 3-1 to Le Havre in the French League. Majeed Ashimeru saw 13 minutes of action for Anderlecht against Royale Union SG, which ended in a draw
In the Belgian Pro League, Francis Abu was a substitute for Cercle Brugge as they lost 3-0 to Club Brugge.
Forwards
In the EPL, Antoine Semenyo scored his second goal of the season as Bournemouth made a 3-2 comeback to beat Everton at Goodison Park in the Premier League. His 87th minute goal was a turnaround that motivated his team to score two further goals in additional time to win the game.
In the same league, Abdul Fatawu Issahaku and Jordan Ayew featured for Leicester City in their 2-1 defeat to Aston Villa. They both lasted 68 minutes.
Brandon Thomas-Asante played 60 minutes for Coventry City as they lost by a lone goal to Norwich in the English Championship.
Iñaki Williams Arthur saw 71 minutes of action for Athletic Bilbao as they lost by a lone goal to Atletic Madrid in the La Liga and Joseph Paintsil was in action for LA Galaxy in their 2-1 defeat to St.Louis City in the United States.
