| Between rising Black Stars and unpredictable Eagles |
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| Thursday, 28 January 2010 | |
 Ghana are eyeing a won over Nigeria If the Eagles can win this, I’m sure most Nigerians will forgive them for their below average performances against Egypt, Benin Republic and Zambia. For Ghanaians, a win today by the Black Stars - a team they had thought would crash out in the first round - will be like winning the cup. The rivalry between Nigeria and Ghana started before millions of citizens, in both countries, who will be watching the match on television and the Internet were born. History of rivalry The rivalry between the two countries according to sports historians dates back to the days of the Jalco Cup. The first match according to statistics was played on May 28, 1950 and Ghana won by a lone goal. Shortly after the defeat, the Red Devils as the Super Eagles were known then avenged the defeat by beating the Black Stars 5-0. The Stars came back stronger from the defeat, beating Nigeria again by a lone goal. What followed that was what is probably the worst defeat ever suffered by Nigeria, a 7-0 defeat by the Black Stars on October 30, 1955. After about 61 matches, Ghana holds the ace with 24 wins, 19 draws and 16 losses - eight wins higher than Nigeria’s 16. Some of the games are still fresh in the memory of football buffs even though they were played about 50 years ago. One of such is the qualifier for the 1962 World Cup. Nigeria had lost its first match against Egypt, while Ghana was yet to kick a ball, and they hoped to bounce back with neighbours as first victim. Many Nigerians were positive that Ghana will fall at home because the country playmaker CK Gyamfi had left for Germany to play professional football for Fortuna Düsseldorf in Germany. But the Stars’ fans were confident that other big men like Baba Yara of Kumasi Kotoko and Edward Aggrey Fynn will do the job. About 40,000 soccer fans converged on the Accra Sports Stadium to watch the first FIFA World Cup qualifier match to be played South of the Sahara. Officiating that day was Arthur Holland of England. Ghana took the lead in the 18th minute when Edward Acquah opened the scoring with a trademark left-foot shot, and before the first half ended, they increased the lead to two with Edward Boateng scoring the second. The second half just began when Dejo Fayemi scored to throw the game open. Determined to become the first country in Sub-Saharan Africa to go to the World Cup, Ghana restored their two goals lead. Mohamadu Salisu secured victory for the Stars by scoring the fourth goal. The return leg played in Lagos on September 10, 1960 ended 2-2. Ghana thus qualified to play Morocco in the African play-off, a tie Moroccans won by a lone goal over two legs. Today matches In the 1980’s and 1990’s Nigeria recorded some victories over Ghana, but in recent times, it is the Stars that have being shinning while the Eagles wings have been clipped. Ghana’s last victory over Nigeria was at the Ghana 2008 Africa Cup of Nations where a ten man Ghana side beat the Eagles to book a place in the semi-final. Majority of the players that played that game are likely to play. Only Yusuf Mohammed and Chinedu Obasi were not in the squad that was disgraced in Ghana. Today’s match presents the Eagles with an opportunity to avenge that defeat. Luckily for the Eagles, the Ghanaian team they are playing today is not as strong as the one they played in 2008. The Team’s star players like Michael Essien, Sulley Muntari, Stephen Appiah, John Mensah and John Panstil are not in Angola. And Asamoah Gyan, the only experienced player in a team made up of youth players is doubtful for the match. The Eagles have the quality and the experience to beat this team. They are solid in the defence, midfield and attack compared to Ghana. But inspite of the abundance of talents in the team, our boys have failed to impress, but for the game against Mozambique, the team has played well below expectation. So badly those fans are calling for a total overhaul of the team despite winning three matches. That is why a win today is important for the Eagles. They will not only avenge the 2008 defeat, but restore the confidence of Nigerians in the team and silence our noisy neighbour that has no respect for big brother Nigeria. By: Abdulateef Lawal |
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