The Black Stars of Ghana were held to a 1-1 draw by Angola in their African Cup of Nation’s qualifier against Angola at the Estadio 11 de Novembro.
Angola saw more of the ball and created more chances in the early parts of the game, relegating the men from Ghana to a more conservative approach.
The visitors, however, grew into the game but fell behind early in the second half when Daniel Amartey fouled Gelson Dala in the penalty area.
The resultant spot kick was neatly dispatched by Nelson Joao.
Ghana made a flurry of substitutions, introducing Joseph Painstil, Inaki Williams, Osman Bukari and Majeed Ashimeru, all of which proved to be effective.
After great interplay with Williams on the right, Painstil set up Bukari to pull a goal back for the four-time African champions.
Ghana dominated the game from that point onwards, creating more chances but could not find the back of the net.
The two teams settled for a point, which puts Ghana in prime position for qualification to the 2023 African Cup of Nations.
Match Report
The home side started the game with great intent, with the first shot coming as early as the first minute.
Winger, Gilberto’s right footed effort from outside the penalty box missed the target to the right of the goal.
The Palancas Negras continued to threaten the men from Ghana, dominating possession and carving out opportunities.
Despite their pressure, they, however, failed to find the back of the net as goal keeper, Lawrence Ati Zigi was up to the task and made some important saves.
Ghana slowly grew into the game with more time on the ball and carved out opportunities of their own but their bad-decision making and shooting from the first leg haunted them again in Luanda as they finished the first half with no shot on target.
The hosts started the second half the way they ended the first and their persistence eventually paid off when skipper Daniel Amartey fouled Nelson Dala in the penalty box, attracting a penalty.
New Black Stars gaffer, Chris Hughton responded to conceding by introducing Joseph Painstil, Osman Bukari, Inaki Williams and Majeed Ashimeru into the game, injecting life into Ghana’s attack and midfield, which paid off.
Two of the substitutes combined to level the game for the visitors as Joseph Painstil’s cutback into the penalty box was neatly tucked in by the arriving Osman Bukari.
Ghana continue to mount the pressure on the hosts, creating more goal scoring opportunities but lacked the cutting edge to bury the game.
The game ended a 1-1 draw which sees Ghana maintain the top spot in group E with 8 points.
