Stand-in Ghana captain Andre Ayew has praised his teammates for their remarkable resilience after edging Rwanda 1-0 on Saturday in a 2017 AFCON qualifier.

The Black Stars needed an 87th-minute free-kick from on-loan Las Palmas midfielder Mubarak Wakaso to pick the points at the Amahoro Stadium. It was a result the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations losing finalist achieved by punching above their weight playing on a horrendous pitch which made passing and movement extremely difficult for both team.

Ayew, who had to deputy as leader of the team in the absence of injured Asamoah Gyan, was paid tribute to his colleagues for braving the storm and getting the job done.

“Honestly I think it was a good game, difficult pitch. We knew anytime we (Ghana) played with a team, they are going to give their 100% and we were prepared for that,” the Swansea City star said in a post-match interview.

“We showed a lot of character, solidarity and team spirit and I’m very pleased with what by colleagues showed today on the pitch.”

Ghana have taken commanding lead in Group H with six points from two matches.