'Once again proved decisive' - Tottenham star scores winner to secure World Cup qualification

One of Tottenham’s key men scored the all-important winner for his nation on Sunday. The main phase of the African section of the World Cup qualifiers is now beginning to wrap up, and most groups conclude this month ahead of the play-offs.

The winners of the qualifying groups won’t need to worry, and that includes Ghana, who officially got the job done on Sunday with a 1-0 win.

Goal difference and a three point meant the Black Stars were unlikely to be caught in their last game in any case, but Madagasgar were beaten by Mali in what was effectively a meaningless game for them barring a miracle, and that meant Ghana’s result would have been immiterial, but they didn’t know that at the time, and they took care of business anyway, winning 1-0 against Comoros thanks to a goal from Tottenham’s Mohammed Kudus.

That win meant Ghana won the group with 25 points, six points ahead of Madagasgar, who must now wait to see if they will be one of the four best second-placed teams that heads into the playoffs. They likely need Cameroon and Uganda to lose their last games respectively to grab the fourth of those spots.

Ghana, meanwhile, will cruise into the World Cup, and Kudus played a key role in their qualifying campaign. Pulse rated his latedt performance gave him a 8/10, reasoning: “Ghana’s talisman once again proved decisive. Marked tightly by Comoros defenders, Kudus remained composed and seized his moment, converting Partey’s assist with precision. His flair and confidence lifted the team when it mattered most.”

GhanaWeb, meanwhile, gave him a 9/10 with the report: “The Tottenham Hotspurs winger tormented the Central African Republic midfield and defense for the entire duration of the game. Kudus tracked back to support Partey and Sibo whenever Ghana lost possession, something he rarely does when playing for the Black Stars. He also assisted Ghana's first goal from the corner kick.”

Addo’s verdict

Ghana boss Otto Addo, who became the first Ghanaian boss to lead the nation to two World Cup qualifications, said after the game: “I think we had a good game. And now, we can maybe, for this little thing, we can use the word luck. The first three, four minutes, they had a good chance. But they didn't score. But in all, I think we controlled the game.

“They came like I expected and they're very, very dangerous. I think everybody saw that, especially when they have counterattacks, they're so really, really dangerous. But we managed the game well. We grew into the game. And the solid defence, but also good midfield. I think at one, we could have done a little bit more to create more chances. But like I said, it's not an easy team. It's a small country and I really have big respect for what they're doing, how they brought their football team together, how they are organised.

“Big respect also for the coach, really, really good coach. And, yeah, we did well. We controlled the game. We had a lot of ball possession. We created chances. We could have scored more, I think. But I'm very, very happy that we won, even though maybe it was not needed. I'm very happy that we closed these qualifiers with a win.”

On the aforementioned achievement, he added: “For me, personally, it's a big achievement. But to be honest, I think more about us. So, it's good for us, for everyone. Every Ghanaian, it's good for the players. Not only for me. So, this is the most important thing. It's not a bad time, but also not a good time. It's not about me. It's about us. And it's about the team. I'm happy for the players. And some players haven't been there. And it's a good opportunity. And so, I'm very, very happy for everyone.”

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