Ghana will hope to take another step towards ending their agonising wait for another Africa Nations Cup crown when they take on Cameroon in the semi-finals of the ongoing Afcon tournament in Franceville, Gabon, tonight.
Led by West Ham United forward, Andre Ayew, and Chelsea loanee, Christian Atsu, Ghana have displayed plenty of guile and inspiration since the beginning of the tournament.
By contrast, Cameroon’s progress has owed everything to a rock-solid defence that has been breached just twice in four previous matches in the tournament.
The Indomitable Lions also have not conceded in each of their last two matches, including the quarter-finals against Senegal, winning 5-4 on penalties after a resolute display at the back.
However, keeping Ghana at bay will be far from easy.
Aside from Ayew’s creativity and perceptive movement, Atsu’s artful passing has been exposing teams between the lines.
Yet Ayew and Atsu are far from the only threats Cameroon should be concerned about.
Midfielders- Afriyie Acquah of Torino and Atletico Madrid’s Thomas Partey- are also there to ensure Ghana stays strong in the engine room.
Such power is the ideal complement to the pace of Jordan Ayew and Asamoah Gyan.
Given Ghana’s depth and versatility in the final third, this is one match where attack may be the best form of defence for Cameroon.
The 25-year-old, who boasts of pace and power—along with keen instincts in the box—will put Ghana on the back foot and give Cameroon’s tough rear-guard a lead to defend.
The Indomitable Lions have so far mastered winning ugly, but they will have to show more inspiration as an attacking force to survive an onslaught from in-form Ghana.
“It will be very tough; we saw Cameroon’s quarterfinals win over Senegal and they played very well,” Ghana coach, Avram Grant, said.
“Cameroon will have one more day rest than us but we’ve shown we can deal with difficulties.
“My team is improving, every game we get fitter and sharper. And this team has a big heart.”
Grant has had to hear constant criticism of his players through the tournament, but feels it is unwarranted with mitigating circumstances in terms of injuries to key players and atrocious pitch conditions in Gabon.
“Every player had has criticism at one time or another. I would like that to change,” Grant said. “I don’t know why they target players. I would like them to respect the players who are giving everything.”
Meanwhile Cameroon coach, Hugo Broos, admits his side have ridden their luck so far in the competition, having come inches from elimination in the dying seconds of their final group game against Gabon, and then profiting from Senegal’s wastefulness.
“Fourteen of my team are playing in the Africa Cup of Nations for the first time and our ambition has always been to go far,” he said.
“Not many people gave us the chance to reach the semi-finals. We played against a strong Senegal team. We fought very hard and resisted several attacks by the opponent.
“Luck was on our side too. I congratulate my very young team. They really deserve to be in the semis.”
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