Ghana 2-2 Benin: 5 Hits and Flops | African Cup of Nations 2019

The Squirrels celebrate a goal against Ghana.
The Squirrels celebrate a goal against Ghana.

#4 Flop - Christian Atsu (Ghana)

Atsu had no impact on the game.
Atsu had no impact on the game.

The Newcastle United player delivered a poor and unstable display against Benin. He was caught offside twice, dispossessed three times, and consistently controlled the ball poorly.

Atsu took two shots on goal, but none were on target. While he had a 91% passing accuracy from a total of only 23 passes, he didn't have a single key pass, and he had one of the fewest touches on both sides (for a player who stayed on for the entire match).

Ghana manager Kwesi Appiah may be willing to place faith in Atsu for their next AFCON clash against Cameroun on Saturday, but it might be a better option to drop him.


#3 Hit - Jordan Ayew

Man of the Match - Jordan Ayew
Man of the Match - Jordan Ayew

With a searing right-footed drive past Fabien Farnolle into the top corner of the goal, Jordan Ayew put Ghana ahead and looked set to take three points home.

With 6 aerials won (the maximum on the entire pitch) and 42 touches, Ayew's performance was every target-man's goal. He held the ball up effectively, was fouled 6 times (another maximum), and helped out defensively with two tackles and an interception.

He deserved the Man of the Match award which could very easily have gone to Mickael Pote.

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