The five reasons behind Ghana’s dramatic 3-2 victory over South Korea

Mohammed Kudus etched his name in Ghanaian football folklore as the first Ghanaian to score two goals in a World Cup game.

The Nima-born midfielder flicked a Jordan Ayew set-piece with his head before connecting to a Gideon Mensah cross to score what turned out to be the winner for Ghana.

Mohammed Salisu got the other goal for Ghana. The Korean goals were scored by Gue-Sung Cho in the 58th and 61st minutes.

In all, the game against South Korea represented an improvement on the one against Portugal and as we review the match, here are five things GhanaWeb’s Perez Erzoah Kwaw noticed.

Ghana were bolder this time

If the second half of Ghana’s game against Portugal thought coach Otto Addo and Ghanaians anything, it was the fact that the Portuguese side were beatable and undeserving of the respect the Black Stars gave them in that game.

Armed with that lesson, the Black Stars went all out against Portugal, playing some expansive and attacking football.

Of course, the weakness in the defense, particularly dealing with aerial balls was exposed but the attacking talents in the Ghanaian side gained the freedom to continue hunting for goals and win the game for Ghana.

This approach worked and although Ghana had their backs against the wall in the final 20 minutes, the offensive football was enough to see them through.



Jordan Ayew added numbers to his game

Jordan Ayew’s good performances for the Black Stars always go under the radar because his name does not come up among the scorers and assist providers but on Monday, November 28, Jordan racked up an assist and the first goal cannot be talked about without him being mentioned.

Kudus rightly won the man of the match but Jordan was arguably Ghana’s most important player in the game, especially in the first half.

It was a Kudus day

For a team at the fledging stage, the onus always lies on the established players in the team to show up and drag the team along and that is what Mohammed Kudus delivered against South Korea.

In his interchangeable, right-wing and central attacking midfield role with skipper Andre Ayew, Kudus as he has always done in a Ghana jersey, thrived and bagged a couple of goals.

Aside Kudus, the likes of Mohammed Salisu, Daniel Amartey and the other big guys in the team stepped up excellently.

Ghana knows how to dig deep

To be able to repel constant attacks for over 20 minutes requires an incredible level of mental strength, discipline and defensive tactical awareness.

The Black Stars had their backs against the wall for more than 20 minutes but they never budged or cracked. They were resolute in holding the Koreans and forcing them to resort to crosses which Amartey, Mohammed Salisu and late arrivals Djiku and Baba Rahman did well to defend.

The role of the 12th man

Even at 2-2, the Ghanaian fans especially those behind the post with the brassband music were at their loudest. Realising that the South Koreans were at that point having the mental edge, the fans lived up to their 12-man role and continued to blaze the music, most of which were songs that sought the face of God in the battle.

They sang and clapped until the third goal came and once that happened the whole stadium turned red, yellow and green and Ghana was home and dry.

When Mohammed Kudus was subbed and had to take that ‘long walk’ to the Ghanaian technical area, the stadium went live with the chant of ‘Kuduuuuuus’.