Kumasi, June 12, GNA - A dominant Ghana's Black Stars trounced the Walias of Ethiopia 5-0 in their opening match of the 2019 African Cup of Nations (AFCoN) qualifier at the Baba Yara Stadium, Kumasi, on Sunday.
The score-line puts Ghana on top of Group F on three points, and would leapfrog Sierra Leone who defeated Kenya 2-1 in another fixture earlier.
Skipper Asamoah Gyan set the tone for the demolition exercise, scoring a record 50th goal for his country in the ninth minute. The goal-poacher finished off a well-taken cross from Thomas Agyapong as the Stars caught the visitors on the break.
Ghana increased the goal tally to two five minutes later through defender John Boye whose electrifying shot from a Raphael Dwamena's header to the goal area, beat a helpless Ethiopia goalie, Abel Mamo.
The visitors nearly reduced the goal deficit in the 15th minute from a counter-attack, but striker Getaneh Kebede's feeble shot would not pose any problem for the Stars' goalie, Richard Ofori.
The tempo of the game slowed down after the half hour mark, but the determined Ghanaian side upped their game in the latter part of the first half, resulting in a goal in the 40th minute.
It was a beautiful goal by Ebenezer Ofori, who delivered a thunderbolt of a shot from a solo effort to put the Stars 3-0 ahead before the half ended.
Ethiopia resumed the second half with an all-attacking strategy, and made incursion into the Stars goal area but they failed to make any meaningful use of the chances that came their way.
Let off the hook, the Stars marshalled more men in midfield, and in a defence-splitting move from the right flank, Andre Ayew delivered an unexpected shot, which was pushed back into play by the Ethiopian goalie and was tapped in by an unmarked Dwamena in the 47th minute for the fourth goal of the match.
The FC Zurich striker, making his debut for the Stars, would go ahead to hit a brace and the fifth goal for Ghana on 59th minute as he scored from a goalmouth melee to finish off the Ethiopians in grand style.
GNA
By Stephen Asante, GNA
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