Satellites in a flying start

Ghana’s Black Satellites got off their 2015 Africa Youth Championship campaign on a positive note with a 2-0 victory over South Africa at the Caroline Faye Stadium in M’Bour last Monday.

Thamsanga Masiya’s own goal shot the Satellites to the lead in the eighth minute before Benjamin Tetteh’s strike before the interval cushioned the Ghanaians to the break.

The Satellites now sit on top of the table with three points ahead of their next game with Zambia  later tomorrow.

After the interval, the South African fought hard and in their frustration, Aubrey Modiba was sent off for a second a yellow card offense following a heavy tackle on Ghana’s skipper, Owusu Bempah, who later had to be replaced Kingsley Fobi. 

In his reaction after the game, Ghana’s coach, Sellas Tetteh Teivi, regreted how his team wasted chances. 

“Whenever a team is down by a man, they appear motivated and work very hard. After the red card, we were not effective. Despite being a man down the South Africans gave us a good game and that is the hallmark of a good team.”

Ghana’s captain Joseph Owusu Bempah was excited at their winning start and remained confident the team would get better in the competition.

“It is good to get the three points, but there is still room for improvement. It is a good sign to play well and create chances. We hope to continue from there. 

The South Africa coach Thabo Senong described their game in the first half as not good, and added that “but our performance in the second half was not bad either. The goal was from two mistakes from our defence. It is always very difficult when you are a man down. But the red card, we could have done better in the second half. There are a lot of positives from my team and we are looking forward to our next game. We will regroup and make sure that the players are motivated for the next game against Zambia”.

His captain, Motjeka Madisha, was worried by the outcome of the game  “This kind of result is not good for us. We really have to work hard in the next game. We will go back and identify our mistakes”.