The two African giants played out a thrilling goalless draw in Kumasi on Friday, with more fireworks expected in the return leg on Tuesday
Ghana coach Otto Addo has admitted that Nigeria has many quality players in their fold after his Black Stars held the Super Eagles to a 0-0 draw at the Baba Yara Stadium, Kumasi.
But Addo is pleased that his charges did not concede to the Eagles, a situation he says could come back to hunt the 2013 African champions.
Ghana were poor at the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations in January, winning none of their games, leading to their elimination in the group stages.
On the back of that disappointing outing, many expected the Black Stars to struggle against a Super Eagles side that could call on several attacking talents, including Napoli’s Victor Osimhen, Watford’s Emmanuel Dennis, and Leicester City’s Ademola Lookman.
But the five-time Afcon winners were the better team on the ball, with Crystal Palace’s Jordan Ayew, AS Roma’s forward Felix Afena-Gyan, and Sporting Lisbon’s Abdul Issahaku Fatawu causing Nigeria loads of problems.
The Super Eagles were not without their chances, though, with Nantes’ Moses Simon and Rangers’ Joe Aribo missing their best openings.
The second leg is scheduled for Tuesday in the Nigerian capital of Abuja, with the Super Eagles guaranteed to qualify for the 2022 FIFA World Cup with a victory of any kind.
An away goal for Ghana could, however, change the complexion of the tie and Addo hopes the Eagles regret their inability to find the net in Kumasi.
“The Nigerians saw that we can play as well. Even though the Afcon wasn’t good, I think we matched them up,” the Ghana coach said, as per CAFonline.
“They have high-quality players, but in all, it was equal. The pressure will be on them at home and no away goals can hurt a lot.”
The Super Eagles will secure a spot at Qatar 2022, scheduled for November/December this year, with a victory of any margin over the Black Stars.
This post was last modified on March 27, 2022 2:25 pm