It was a night of milestones for some Black Stars players on Thursday night.
While three players made their debuts, a number of the old hands racked up more caps.
Partey all night
Thomas Partey earned his 25th cap for the Black Stars on Thursday night against South Africa and marked it with his ninth international goal.
Having been in sparkling form for Atletico Madrid this season he was expected to light up the Cape Coast Stadium as well.
And in a first-half largely devoid of quality, Partey stepped up.
The Black Stars were the first to go close in the game as Partey’s free-kick from the left was eventually saved by South Africa goalie Ronwen Williams.
The ball moved from one end to the other in the first half as both sides sought a way to get an early goal.
Both teams, however, kept misplacing their passes in a very low-quality start to the game.
Thomas Partey then picked out Andre Ayew on the right, who cut in and fired in a shot but it was heading well off target before being cleared by the South African defence.
The Black Stars took the lead after 35 minutes as Jordan Ayew dropped deep to receive the ball in midfield and passed to Partey whose shot was deflected past goalkeeper Williams and into the net.
Electrifying atmosphere after seeing that Thomas Partey strike. 🇬🇭 1-0 🇿🇦 #BringBackTheLove #BlackStars #AFCON2021Q pic.twitter.com/oT5dVXOjcy
— Ghana Football Association (@ghanafaofficial) November 14, 2019
Debut feeling
Three players made their debut for the Black Stars at the Cape Coast Stadium, Iddrisu Baba, Gideon Mensah and Mohammed Kudus.
While all three impressed, one made it absolutely count.
Having replaced Alfred Duncan, 19-year-old debutant Kudus picked up the ball in midfield and strode forward.
With the South African defence backing off, he cut onto his right foot and fired a great finish into the top corner.
Talk about a first impression!
2nd goal:
Again the closing down is non-existent. Watch as both Tyson and Buhle back off.
Kudus might be a teenager, but he’s smart and uses both of them as a screen, before cutting inside and unleashing a thunderous strike. pic.twitter.com/5t8csgIUiC
— Delmain_Soccer (@DelmainFaver) November 15, 2019
85 not out
Captain Andre Ayew was the most capped Black Stars player on the field last night.
His 85 appearances eclipsed everyone on the pitch and although he didn’t get on the scoresheet, he was important to the Stars’ win.
Andre made his debut for the Black Stars against Senegal on August 21, 2007 having been called up to the squad by Ghana’s coach at the time, Claude Le Roy.
Before making his first appearance for the Black Stars, Ayew had been eligible to play for the French national team.
He has gone on to appear at six AFCON tournaments and two World Cups for Ghana and has scored 15 goals.