Ghana captain Ayew scores wondergoal as he gets one over Kessie in All-Star game

Ghana captain Andre Ayew scored a brilliant goal as he led his side Ghana XI to a 3-2 victory over Arthur Legacy XI captained by Ivory Coast midfielder Franck Kessie in the Calcio Trade Ball All-Star game at the Accra Sports Stadium on Friday.

The Al Sadd winger weaved his way past his markers with relative ease before he buried the ball in the net, sending fans wild in the match organised by Ghanaian football agency, ArthurLegacy Sports, to celebrate the strong football relationship between Ghana and Italy.

Arthur Legacy XI had players from the agency led by Kessie, AS Roma and Ghana starlet Felix Afena-Gyan and Black Stars forward Richmond Boakye, who plays for Israel’s Beitar Jerusalem.

Andre Ayew captained a star-studded Ghana XI that included his brother Jordan and China-based midfielder Mubarak Wakaso for the friendly game, and the former Swansea City man played like there was so much at stake.

After Afena-Gyan had given his side the lead, the Ayew brothers exchanged passes before Andre equalised minutes later. He then made it 2-0 in style.

Andre picked the ball on the right-wing, beat his two markers before showing great strength to dribble past a forest of legs to get in on goal and finish with aplomb.

Even though it was a ‘meaningless’ match, the composure and confident shown by Andre to start and finish off the move is something Black Stars fans will be hoping he can replicate at the World Cup where Ghana face Uruguay, Portugal and South Korea in their group.

Kessie created the second goal for ArthurLegacy XI which Boakye scored via a tap-in but Andre ensured his side carried the day when he lofted in a cross that was headed in for a 3-2 scoreline.

The match was a culmination of a three-day event that began with a seminar themed ‘Stop Player Exploitation, Save Football’ organised by the agency aimed at sensitising players, managers and other decision-makers in the game.

It was also an opportunity for fans to not only catch up with a number of Black Stars players after their exertions in the 2023 Afcon qualifiers but also Kessie, who won the Serie A title with Milan last season, after an 11-year wait.