What we learned from Ghana-DR Congo clash at 2013 AFCON
Posted On Monday, 21st January 2013
Ghana coach Kwesi Appiah will have to look forward to their next match against Mali
Davy Lane analyses the fireworks in Ghana’s opening Group B match against DR Congo and looks at what the other group opponents Mali and Niger were up to as well as the other side shows.
No goals on Day 1, but they were flying in on Day 2! Great goals they were too: Agyemang-Badu’s box-busting team goal, Kwadwo Asamoah’s crafty back-post header (he’s only 5’8”), graceful Eto’o-like precision from Tresor Mputu, and the colossal Seydou Keita’s dramatic last gasp winner for Mali.
Ghana 2-2 DR Congo. The Leopards stalked Ghana early. They were cunning, calculating. Twice Ghana were cut open in brutal style. Ghana only escaped because of the crossbar Gods. The Black Stars elevated their game. Agyemang-Badu’s goal was football engineering at its finest. Ghana seemed to have ended the half in the ascendancy, but they had been wounded and the Leopards were planning a second half feast. Kwadwo Asamoah’s powerful back post header provided some Black Star insurance early in the second half. DRC Captain Trésor Mputu (who plays for African powerhouse club, Tout Puissant Mazembe) soon materialized in the Black Star box to finish off an attack of pulmonary proportions. Dieumerci Mbokani returned to the scene and scored a second from the spot. The Leopards were sated. It was said moments later Congolese parents named a new born child, Égalisation, meaning Equalizer. The game will also long be remembered for the ‘crazy’ Congolese cat between the sticks. Muteba Kidiaba’s haircut and celebratory dance have already rumbled the viral jungle.
This was an absorbing contest. Ghana boss James Kwesi Appiah chose to start the finest African midfielder of his generation, Kwadwo Asamoah, at left back (he’s in the generation after Yaya’s). I was shaking my head. At Juventus, Antonio Conte usually deploys him to great effect as a marauding wing-back, with three centre-halves behind him, but Appiah was asking him to play on the left of a flat back four.
But what a full-back he turned out to be, bursting into the box and teeing up Agyemang-Badu for the opening goal. Juventus fans have seen that goal before. Then he scored from a corner early in the second half. A goal and an assist from full-back for Asamoah. They say a great player can play anywhere.
Agyemang-Badu played higher up the pitch than I’d expected and looked a goal-threat throughout. Behind him, Derek Boateng was ponderous, and DRC’s Youssouf Mulumbu had a firm grip on midfield. Look for Anthony Annan to start Ghana’s next match in place of Boateng.
DR Congo were fearless and strong. This team just doesn’t know when it’s beaten and could go very far in this tournament on today’s showing. They failed to qualify for the last three tournaments, but they’re still two-time African champions and their players look assured of their own pedigree.
Tresor Mputu was everywhere, playing between the lines in the kind of fluid formation you rarely see nowadays from African national teams. Resolute and cohesive, DRC look to have a touch of Zambia 2012 about them.
Manchester City captain Vincent Kompany (his dad’s Congolese) was impressed:
We just wish he’d been playing at the heart of that DRC defence in Port Elizabeth, what a team they’d be.
As the game wore on, there was only one question everyone wanted answered: Why was Ghanaian rapper M.anifest – or someone who looked suspiciously like him – playing in goal for DR Congo? In the end, the man himself “confessed” under our interrogation:
Last word on Kidiaba’s bum bounce (for now). It’s nothing new toTP Mazembe fans – here he is at it a few years ago vs Brazil’s Internacional in the World Club Cup:
Davy Lane again on Mali vs Niger:
Mali 1-0 Niger. Mali’s Eagles were expected to win. They did, but perhaps less emphatically than some expected. Cheick Diabaté tested Niger early. Les Aigles had to thank Mamadou Samassa for a brave, point blank save to ensure parity. Mali pressed and probed either side of half time. Seydou Keita crashed a shot against a post mid way through the second half. The game was heading toward a frustrating draw for Les Aigles of Mali and a hard earned point for the Menas of Niger when keeper Kassaly Daouda dropped an innocuous cross in the 84 minute. Mali’s Seydou Keita, the celebrated former Barcelona veteran, was first to react. Allez Les Aigles. The Menas of Niger must play their next match without making one mistake. Even then, and judging from the striking performance by the Leopards earlier, they may find themselves on the receiving end of a mauling.
That winner was Seydou Keita’s 6th goal at Nations Cups, an extraordinary return for a holding midfielder.
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RECAP: SIMPLICITY AND SPEED WINS. TRUST ME…!!!
BREAK AND PASS SOCCER, 2/3 TOUCHES PER PLAYER AT ALL TIMES. TRIANGLE OFFENSE/ATTACK
I BELIEVE IN MY ANCESTORS.
EVERYONE SHOULD LIFT METAL LIKE AKAMINKO. AA, THIS IS GOING TO BE A DISCIPLINED AND PHYSICAL TOURNAMNT.
LETS USE THE FIRST 3 GAMES TO TIGHTEN OUR DEFENCE. NO GOALS AGAINST. ALL WE NEED ARE THE FULL 3 POINTS.
JUS BEAT UR OPPONENTS BY 1 GOAL N DO NOT CLAIM ANY GOALS
THE TEAM IS NOT DISCIPLINED. LOOK AT THE NUMBER OF CARDS GH RECEIVED AGAINST DR CONGO?
NO COMPLACENCY/TIRI MU D3, PLS….
MENTALITY!
AA MUST TAKE HEED TO MY ADVICE IF HE WANTS TO LIFT THE TROPHY
1. Get your tactics right
2. keep clean sheets in every single game.
3. STRIKERS/attackers win you a match, DEFENDERS win you a tournament.
4. Make sure youR TEAM N PLAYERS are disciplined
5. Treat your players with respect. motivated all the players like their big brother.
6. Get the best out of your most talented players. THEY MUST PUT IN MORE WORK. MORE TRAINING, MORE LIFTING METAL
7. Don’t complain about the facilities
8. TRUST EACH OTHER
9. SIMPLICITY AND SPEED WINS. TRUST ME…!!!
BREAK AND PASS SOCCER, 2/3 TOUCHES PER PLAYER AT ALL TIMES. TRIANGLE OFFENSE/ATTACK
10. DO AWAY WITH COMPLACENCY/TIRI MU D3, PLS….U HAVENT WON THE TROPHY YET, SO WHY ARE U RELAXING WITH A BIGHEAD?
THE INSTRUCTIONS FOR DEREK ARE VERY SIMPLE…
A. BREAK/STOP ATTACKING ADVANCES OF OPPONENTS INTO THE GH HALF
B. RELEASE THE BALL TO THE WINGERS OR THE $TRIKERS AND REST. I REPEAT, NO BACK PASSES!
THIS ISNT WAT DEREK WAS DOING. HE WAS CAUGHT TRYING TO BE A STAR ON THE FIELD. HE RARELY TRIES TO STOP OPPONENTS ATTACKS INTO THE GH HALF.
ON THE OCASSION THAT HE DOES, DEREK IS SEEN HOLDING UNTO THE BALL LIKE HE THINKS HE IS MARADONNA OR MESSI. IDIOT, JUST WIN THE BALL AND PASS IT
I TOLD U TO LEAVE DEREK ALONE. NOW U SEE?
ASAMOAH GYAN:
GYAN IS A FOOLISH STRIKER. HE HAS NO KILLER INSTINCT INFRONT OF THE NET. ANY STRIKER WHO CANT SMELL BLOOD INFRONT
OF THE NET IS USELESS, IMPOTENT STRIKER!
WHY ARE THE NAMES ON THESE FOOLISH TYE N DYE PUMA JERSEYS IN SMALL CAPS. I WANT TO KNOW WHY? GFA, DID PUMA GIVE US A DISCOUNT TO HVE
OUR NAMES IN SMALL LETTERS OR NOT? ATROCIOUS JERSEYS FROM PUMA. AFCON HAS TURNED INTO A PUMA FASHION SHOWCASE….FOOLISH GFA!
NYANTAKYI NEEDS BINOCULARS NOT GLASSES, BCOS HE STILL CANT SEE SHIT!
its hard to read your comment because its in upper case. lower case is easier to read.
hahahahaha! funny!
Block Star am disappointed.
Disregard it. There’s no iota of Sense in whatever he’s saying. In one of his contributions a few days earlier he had called for Dauda to be drop from the final 23 forgeting that 3 goaltenders are required for such tournaments. When I called him on it,he only came back with insults.
UNION, U DONT FIND AN IOTA OF SENSE IN WAT I HAVE WRITTEN? DISREGARD IT? WELL, WAT I HAVE BEEN HAMMERING ON HAS COME TRUE. TIRI MU D3/COMPLACENCY…U LEAD BY 2 GOALS N ALLOW DR CONGO TO COME BACK? GO AHEAD AND DISREGARD….FOOL!
FYI: WATI HAVE POSTED IS WHAT WAT EX CAMEROON COACH SCHAEFFER SAID AFTER HE WON AFCON TROPHIES WITH CAMEROON WITH MBOMA, ETO, SONG ETC….SO FUCK YOU!
I DONT LIVE IN GH. I HAVE NEVER SEEN DAUDA PLAY BEFORE. I QUESTIONED WHY WE NEEDED 3 GOALIES/23 PLAYERS IN A TEAM UNTIL I RESEARCHED FIFA’S REASONING FOR THAT. I BET U DONT EVEN KNOW THIS. IM TOO ENLIGHTENED TO COME BACK WITH INSULTS. WAT I DID WAS INFORM YOU OF FIFA’S REASONING BEHIND THE NEED FOR 3 GOALIES.
DAUDA IMPRESSED IN THE FRIENDLIES AND IN THE GAME AGAINST LIBERIA. IF U READ COMMENTS ON HERE FREQUENTLY. U WILL REMEMBER THAT I MADE A COMMENT HERE REGARDING AA’S CHOICE OF PREFERRED GOALIES AGAINST DR CONGO.I SAID AA SHOULD USE KWARASAY AGAINST ELITE TEAMS LIKE ZAMBIA, ICOAST AND NAIJA. AGAINST SO CALLED LOWER CALIBRE TEAMS, WE SHOULD GO WITH DAUDA…BCOS DAUDA IS USED TO THE AFRICAN STYLE OF PLAY, BETTER THAN KWARASAY. ELITE AFRICAN TEAMS ARE MORE SOPHISTICATED, A TRAIT KWARASAY IS FAMILIAR WITH PLAYING IN EUROPE.
I think that guy has a little challenge on logical reasoning. Please lets give him the benefit of doubt! He’s a guy in his own class.
STARTING 11…
FATAU
2..AFFUL/AKAMINKO
3. WAKASSO /KISSI BOATENG
4/5..JONATHAN MENSHA/AWAL/ BOYE/VORSAH/AKAMINKO
6..ANNAN/RABIU/DEREK BOATENG
7..ATSU/ADOMAH
8..BADU/KASA/YIADOM/DEREK BOATENG
9/10..GYAN/CLOTTEY/YIADOM
THE CONGOLESE TEAM HAVE BEEN PLAYING FOR SEVEN YEARS NOW AND ARE FULL OF EXPERIENCE.WE HAVENT PLAYED FOR A YEAR YET.BUT FOR A WEEK OR DAYS.THEY ALWAYS PLAY ROUGH GAME WITH GHANA AND FOR YEARS WE HAVE NEVER BEATEN THEM; THIS IS A GOOD TEAM(BS) THAT WILL SHINE VERY SOON AT THE TOURNAMENT.
THIS OLD MAN IS A FUNNY MONKEY!