Emmanuel Agyemang Badu and Asamoah Gyan
The Black Stars of Ghana yesterday whipped the Sihlangu Semnikati of Swaziland in the penultimate qualifier for the 2012 Nations Cup to be co-hosted by Gabon and Equatorial Guinea.
Two goals, scored by Asamoah Gyan and Agyemang Badu, were all Ghana needed to ensure victory in a one-sided match.
Even though the initial stages of the match were characterized by scrappy play, the Black Stars established their dominance, making occasional incursions into the territory of the Swazis.
It was during one such incursion that Sulley Ali Muntari, who had a terrible afternoon, released a 40-yarder, which went off-target.
A minute later, Sunderland striker Asamoah Gyan opened the scoring (8th minute) when he headed home a beautiful cross from Dominic Adiyiah, to set alight the Accra Sports Stadium, venue for the match.
The early goal calmed the nerves of the homesters, with the tens of thousands of Ghanaian fans that had thronged the stadium, expecting an avalanche of goals. But this was not to be, as the Swazis upped their game in every department and compelled the Black Stars to stretch every sinew and tendon.
But surprise inclusion and man-of-the match Derek Boateng partnered so well with Agyemang Badu to quell any threat posed by the visitors. Indeed, the midfield duo was so effective that at a point it seemed to be doing all the work in attack and midfield.
New-kid-on-the-block Adam Kwarasey, in post for Ghana, had very little to do on the afternoon. Many Ghanaians were expecting to see him in his element, in order to see whether or not he was worth all the praises as the successor of Ghana’s number one Richard Kingson.
The central defensive pair of Jonathan Mensah and Isaac Vorsah was exceptional on the day, neatly neutralizing every Swazi attack, as stand-in captain John Paintsil and Daniel Opare, manned the flanks effectively.
Ghana continued to dominate the game even in the second half, coming close on numerous occasions. In the 77th minute however, Agyeman Badu made no mistake when he fired home a characteristic long-range shot, to record Ghana’s second goal.
With the victory, Ghana have all but qualified for the 2012 Nations Cup; with the last game for them being an away match to Sudan, with who they shared the same points before yesterday’s game.
 From The Sports Desk