[ 2021-03-03 ]

U-20 AFCON: Percious Boah belter powers Black Satellites into final
Ghana’s Black Satellites got a measure of
revenge and a ticket to the final of the Under-20
Africa Cup of Nations when they defeated the Young
Scorpions of the Gambia 1-0 in the semi-final
clash at the Stade Olympique De Nouakchott in
Mauritania on Monday.
Forward Percious Boah, in a man-of-the-match
display, handed Ghana a deserved victory from an
expertly taken freekick in the 33rd minute. He
curled the ball beyond Gambia's defensive wall and
into the top left corner beyond the reach of
goalkeeper Saidy Lamin.





Minutes before the burly Dreams FC player broke
the deadlock, he had come close to scoring from a
long range shot which missed the target by inches
but was indicative of what was to come in the
highly physical encounter.

And when he was gifted the chance close to the
Gambian penalty box, he ensured he hit the ball
past the outstretched goalkeeper, after which the
Satellites battled hard for the next 61 minutes to
hold onto the lead for victory and a revenge for a
1-2 loss to their West African rivals in a group
clash a week earlier.

Yesterday's encounter had pride and a place in the
final at stake, with Coach Abdul Karim Zito’s
charges looking keyed up for victory after taking
the first half lead and holding off late attacks
from their opponents.



The Ghanaians got off in a businesslike manner,
taking the game to the Gambians, with the trio of
skipper Daniel
Afriyie Barnieh, Abdul Fatawu Issahaku and Boah
raiding their opponents' goal area with sustained
attacks, one of
which nearly fetched the opener in the 15th minute
as Issahaku unleashed a 45-yard strike which was
parried away by Lamin.



The Scorpions came into the picture almost midway
into the first half with an onslaught from the
flanks but their attacks were repelled by solid
defending on the part of the Satellites.

PEGAS RANA MOTTORS
In one of such attacks in the 32nd minute,
Issahaku was tripped down as he surged forward
into the Gambians' goal area, and Boah drilled
home the resultant free kick with power and
precision.

The Ghanaians pressed for more goals in order to
increase the tally but lack of coordination in the
third half ruined their efforts and let their
opponents off the hook.



In the second half, the Scorpions laid siege on
the Satellites half in search of the equaliser and
got a free-kick at the edge of the penalty box in
the 56th minute. However, Falikou Fafana’s
efforts were blocked by the human wall.

Undeterred, they continued their onslaught against
the Satellites and forced Coach Zito to bring on
winger Anim
Cudjoe and attacker Frank Boateng in the 65th
minute to bolster his attack.



Percious Boah's goal was enough to get Ghana into
the final

The relentless onslaught from the Gambians was
halted when both teams concentrated play in the
midfield and struggled to make any incursions into
their respective areas.

In the 76th minute, substitute attacker Joselpho
Barnes nearly increased the tally for the
Ghanaians but he could not expertly control the
ball when he had only the opposing goalkeeper to
beat.

The Ghanaians held on to their solitary goal to
make it to the final amid wild jubilation by the
players and technical handlers.

Gambian a native or inhabitant of Gambia More
(Definitions, Synonyms, Translation)

Source - Graphic Online

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