The Black Meteors of Ghana have advanced to the next stage of the qualifying phase of the U-23 African Cup Nations after picking up a 2-0 win over Mozambique at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium on Sunday, October 30, 2022.
Goals from Sylvester Simba and skipper Afriyie Barnieh ensured the Black Meteors secured a 4-1 aggregate win. ovder the two legs.
Mozambique started the game the stronger of the two sides, threatening to break Ghana’s resolve early in the game but Aaron Essel and Augustine Randolph were up to the task to keep them at bay.
Ghana established dominance shortly after and created a decent amount of chances but were let down by their finishing.
On the cusp of half time an Augustine Randolph pass found its way to Sylvester Simba who, with a low shot put the Meteors in the lead before the break.
Ghana picked up where they left off with Abdul Razak Yusuf hitting the post soon after the restart, and Barnieh hitting his effort wide after a rebound found its way to his boots.
Mozambique quickly responded with pressure of their own but to no avail as they were once again marshalled by the Ghanaian defense.
Sylvester Simba was on display a few minutes after driving into the Mozambique penalty box from the wing and was brought down, earning Ghana a penalty kick.
Skipper Afriyie Barnieh made no mistake with his spot kick and drilled it home to give Ghana a more secure lead, almost halfway through the second period.
The men from Mozambique mounted a late charge that resulted with the ball ending up in the back of the net only to be ruled out for offside.
The result means the meteors advance to the next stage of the U-23 African Cup of Nations qualifiers.
