Jordan Ayew masterclass secures slim win for Black Stars

Ghana striker Jordan Ayew delivered a masterclass to secure a 4-3 win for Ghana in the World Cup qualifier against the Central African Republic in Kumasi.

The Crystal Palace attacker opened the scoring for Ghana in the fifth minute from the penalty spot after Fatawu Issahaku was brought down in the box. However, Ghana’s lead only lasted 6 minutes as their guests shot back to parity through Amiens striker Louis Mafouta.

Louis Mafouta again fired in for the Wild Beasts to shoot them into the lead just four minutes before the break leading Ghana to go on recess with swollen faces. But that was not going to be forever as the Black Stars roared back into the game after the break.

Jordan Ayew powered in a looping header from a Gideon Mensah cross that left Dominique Youfeigane rooted. Ghana continued their oppression with the possibility of a win now very much on the cards.

Leicester City winger Fatawu Issahaku who had been impressive in the Kumasi night was the next in line to fire past Dominique Youfeigane. The diminutive speedster connected to a Thomas Partey pass and fired into the net thanks to a decisive deflection to put Ghana ahead for the second time in the evening.

With the Central African Republic now looking like they’re ready to give up, Jordan Ayew popped up again to slot in his third of the night and Ghana’s fourth to effectively put the game to bed with barely 20 minutes to play.

Coach Otto Addo made changes to see out the game. He took out Jordan Ayew, Mohammed Salisu and Fatawu Issahaku with Elisha Owusu, Tariq Lamptey and Abdul Mumin coming in their stead. Already, he replaced Kamaldeen Sulemana with Antoine Semenyo.

The changes, however, seemed to have breathed life back into the Central African Republic as they mounted a late pressure to claim a point. Their pressure paid off with Mafouta again being the arrowhead, firing beyond Lawrence Ati-Zigi to reduce the deficit.

However, the Black Stars held off to secure the all-important win that took them to 9 points in Group I. Depending on the results of the Madagascar vs Mali and Chad vs Comoros games, Ghana could likely maintain the top spot ahead of the next round of matches in March 2025.

Meanwhile, Jordan Ayew has now scored 8 goals for Ghana in his last 5 appearances for the country.