Ghana U-20 World Cup Campaign In Numbers

Ghana's Under-20s have, during the past three weeks, represented the country at the World Cup in Turkey at that level, and produced several memories, some good, some bad. Either way, the Black Satellites' bronze-winning displays have come with a number of interesting statistics, the most notable of which Goal's Nana Frimpong highlights in this piece:

1 - Ghana kept a single clean sheet in all of seven outings at Turkey 2013, achieving that in the 3rd/4th place decider against Iraq which they won 3-0.

2 - Two excelling members of the Satellites' team emerged with individual prizes at the end of the tournament on Saturday, with Clifford Aboagye's Bronze Ball adding up to Ebenezer Assifuah's Golden Boot for a fairly handsome collection.

16 - With 16 goals, Ghana were the tournament's most prolific outfit. That in itself is an impressive feat, considering the fact that the team scored only once in its first two games.

11 - Ghana scored 11 second half goals in seven games at the tournament, including nine after the 70th minute mark in all matches they played (those that travelled to extra-time included), thus establishing themselves as comeback kings of some sort in the process.

20+1 – Ebenezer Assifuah's header in the quarter-finals against Chile that earned Ghana a last-gasp win was the latest goal scored at Turkey 2013. That finish – registered approximately one minute after the half-hour allocated for extra-time had expired – capped a great game that ended 4-3 to the competition's 2009 winners.

4 - Ghana played against teams from four different continents at the tournament. Encounters against France (2), Spain and Portugal provided European opposition, while Chile offered the South American flavour normally presented by the usual yet absent customers Brazil and Argentina. And then in Ghana's final game, Iraq, runners-up from Asia, were the opponents..

5 – Ghana, for the fifth time in six U20 World Cup appearances, reached the last-four, confirming the country's status as a genuine force at that level of youth football.

8 – Ghana's goals were spread quite evenly among its players. For the 16 goals Sellas Tetteh's side struck, there were eight different scorers, with at least one from each of the team's three major departments. Quite incredible, isn't it?.

6 – The number of goals with which Liberty Professionals' Ebenezer Assifuah ultimately won the goalking award, easing ahead of the likes of Bruma & Jese (5) of Portugal and Spain respectively and France's Yaya Sanogo (4) who took an early lead in the scoring stakes. He thus becomes the second Ghanaian to claim the gong after Dominic Adiyiah's exploits at the 2009 edition.

7 – The number of goals produced in the thriller played out by Ghana and Chile at Istanbul's Turk Telekom Arena in the quarter-finals which makes it the highest-scoring game at the tournament.

¼ - Clifford Aboagye, the dimunitive yet supremely creative hub of Ghana's team, provided four assists for his goal-scoring team-mates in the course of the tournament, statistically one-fourth of all goals Ghana scored.

The Fans – The FIFA U-20 World Cup Turkey 2013 has produced more than its fair share of great games, stunning goals and impressive shows of support in the stands. The Uzbekistan fans have beaten a mean rhythm with their drums, while the flag-bearing Iraqis have also caught the eye.

However, for sheer colour and exuberance, no one has been able to match Ghana http://www.fifa.com/u20worldcup/teams/team=1888264/index.html 's gallant gang of followers. With their singing, bright outfits, enthusiastic flag-waving and their faces and even bodies daubed in the national colours, the Ghanaian fans have been very hard to ignore.

http://thechronicle.com.gh/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/Ebenezer-Assifuah.jpg The Black Satellites' 150-strong band of supporters will give one last performance in Istanbul on Saturday, when their side takes on Iraq in the match for third place. Before they do so, FIFA.com spoke to the group to find out why they have travelled all the way from the country's capital of Accra to follow the U-20 side right across Turkey.

'We try to follow the national team at every tournament,' said group leader Shaiby Abass. 'No matter where they play, we go there with the aim of encouraging them and cheering them on.'

As Abass went on to explain, their loyalty extends to both the U-20 and full national sides: 'We were at Germany 2006, South Africa 2010 and, if Ghana http://www.fifa.com/u20worldcup/teams/team=1888264/index.html qualifies, we'll be going to Brazil 2014 too.'

Returning to Turkey 2013, Abass is convinced that their ongoing support has played a key part in Ghana http://www.fifa.com/u20worldcup/teams/team=1888264/index.html 's run to the last four: 'Our backing has made the difference. The team started with a 3-1 defeat to France but that was before we got here. We'd all arrived in time for the Spain game in Istanbul and with us behind them they only lost 1-0.'

The best was yet to come, however: 'Then we went to Kayseri and cheered them on to a 4-1 defeat of USA.'

After qualification from the group phase came the fightbacks that made the team famous and filled Abass and his long-distance travelling companions with pride: 'We gave them some great support against Portugal and they won 3-2 despite being two goals down.

We said to the boys: 'You can do it' and they made us feel proud. Against Chile in Istanbul there was a lot of support, with around 150 of us there, and we were able to beat them 4-3.'

The Ghana http://www.fifa.com/u20worldcup/teams/team=1888264/index.html fan club were also in Bursa for Wednesday's semi-final against France but were unable this time to inspire the Black Satellites to victory, as their hopes of winning the title evaporated.

Beaten but unbowed, Abbas and his merry band will be out in force again at Istanbul's Ali Sami Yen Arena this Saturday, when they will be doing their very best to make their young heroes feel at home.

As far as he is concerned, all the fans are doing is returning a little bit of the pleasure the players have given the country.

'We support them, that's true, but they have given a lot to the nation,' said a smiling Abbas, his pride plain for all to see.

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