Why was Mohammed Salisu's opener not ruled out for Ghana against South Korea?

• Black Stars broke the deadlock
• Effort checked before being given
• Saints star has first international goal

WHAT HAPPENED? There were just 24 minutes on the clock when the Black Stars broke the deadlock in a crunch Group H clash, with Southampton defender Salisu recording his first international goal. That effort, which came after a scramble inside the box following a free-kick, was allowed to stand despite a check on Andre Ayew’s involvement.

WHY WAS IT GIVEN? Premier League referee Anthony Taylor was happy for the effort to stand in real time, with it determined that there had been no clear and obvious error made by the on-field officials. The ball did strike Ayew’s hand before dropping to Salisu, but that was not considered to have been deliberate and the goal was given – with Mohammed Kudus going on to grab a second for Ghana 10 minutes later.

STORY IN A PHOTO

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WHAT NEXT? Ghana suffered an agonising 3-2 defeat to Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal in their opening game at Qatar 2022, so desperately need a positive result to keep their hopes of reaching the last-16 alive.