Glorious Wakaso!
Black Stars hit men, Abdul Majeed Waris and Mubarak Wakaso, were beside themselves with joy after powering Ghana to another Africa Nations Cup in front of their compatriots in Tamale.
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The duo, both natives of Tamale, were excited about their respective strikes which gave the Stars a commanding 2-0 first half lead before Emmanuel Agyemang-Badu’s deflected shot handed Ghana a deserved 3-1 victory.
Wakaso set up Waris to head Ghana into the lead in the 23rd minute and two minutes later, the Glasgow Celtic player raised the roof of the Tamale Stadium with a goal of supreme quality to secure AFCON qualification for the Stars.
He unleashed a stunning 30-metre shot that flew into the top corner to double Ghana’s lead into recess. It was an incredible strike by the 24-year-old midfielder — his eighth goal in 24 appearances for Ghana — and he ran across the field to milk that glorious moment which saw the young Ghanaian rising to the occasion in spite of the absence of the team’s substantive captain and the midfield duo of Andre Ayew and Kwadwo Asamoah, who were all knocked out by injuries.
Speaking to the Graphic Sports after the match, the two Tamale-born players noted that their goals could not have come at a better time than when the team needed a win to secure a place at the next AFCON.
“It was more refreshing scoring in front of your teeming fans, especially those you grew up with on the streets of Tamale," noted Wakaso, who saved his finest moment in the team’s last and decisive qualifier.
Deputy Stars skipper, Agyemang-Badu, whose shot was deflected into the net to drill the final nail in Togo’s coffin, was full of praise for his colleagues for putting up a spirited fight to snatch the qualification ticket for Africa’s flagship tourney in Equatorial Guinea next January.
"I thank all my colleagues for the exhibition of team spirit and unity in camp, which I believe helped in securing the victory today," said the Udinese midfielder, who expressed his gratitude to Tamale fans for their support, hopefing that the team would have the opportunity to honour most of their matches in the city.
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Stand-in coach, Maxwell Konadu, who was on his feet throughout the match, attributed the team’s victory to sheer determination and the desire to die a little for the country they love.
Coach Konadu said he was optimistic about the team’s future because the emphatic victory was secured by “a young team driven by strong team spirit, a high sense of discipline and professionalism as far as the call to national duty is concerned”.
He explained that his charges went into the game with a tactical mindset to neutralise the striking ability of the Togolese talisman, Emmanuel Adebayor, and to mount a strong defence wall to ward off the Togolese strikers.