Ghana news

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In a match that was expected to help Bafana prepare adequately for AFCON, it ended up bringing an unexpected fear. A key player is now in a race against time to be fit just before the finals begin in Morocco. Should Oswin Appollis' injury fears be confirmed to be serious, Hugo Broos will be forced to look at his reserve list and pick a replacement.

It was not an easy match for the AFCON-bound Bafana, and it took them close to one hour to break the deadlock. It took a magical move by Orlando Pirates star Sipho Mbule for South Africa to find a way past the Black Galaxies. Ghana's game strategy has been hailed as working perfectly and helped expose Bafana's weaknesses ahead of the Morocco finals.

The former Polokwane City winger is among the players who have been in a trajectory mode this season with the Buccaneers. The tricky player made the final squad for the biennial competition with the other eight players from the Sea Robbers, who are flying high in the Premier Soccer League. He, however, was injured against the Black Galaxies.

The 2023 Africa Cup of Nations Bronze winners played their final build-up game against the West African nation on Tuesday evening, where they laboured to a morale-boosting victory. The team will now leave for Morocco on Wednesday, December 17, with hopes of bringing glory back to Mzansi for the second time in their history.

Football lovers in the country are hopeful their team can deliver as anticipated in the forthcoming biennial competition that will be staged in North Africa. In the initial campaign in Ivory Coast, the 73-year-old Belgian tactician defied the odds to help the country finish in podium positions. It explains the high expectations in the forthcoming campaign.

For South Africa, the duel carried more weight, as it is their final friendly game before heading to Morocco for the Africa Cup of Nations. For Ghana, who will not be part of the AFCON competition, the match was meant to sharpen them for the African Nations Championship qualifiers. With some players not available yet, Hugo Broos gave stars like Ricardo Goss and Khulumani Ndamane starting chances.

The 73-year-old Belgian rubbed a majority of the fans in South Africa the wrong way, and despite the South African Federation Association, SAFA, clarifying the matter, the former Cameroon coach has apologised. He insists his sentiments were blown out of proportion, and what he meant is different from what was perceived.

Liverpool may make their move for Bournemouth winger Antoine Semenyo in January once his £65 million ($87m) release clause becomes active, as the situation involving Mohamed Salah continues to intensify behind the scenes. The Reds reportedly feel that this situation, coupled with rival interest in Semenyo, may force their hand and result in a mid-season bid for the Ghanaian.

This will be the final friendly game for South Africa before they completely switch their focus to the Africa Cup of Nations. Already, Bafana have engaged in one pre-AFCON friendly game; they faced Zambia and defeated them by a 3-1 margin in November in Gqeberha. Hugo Broos has already named his 25-man final squad, and what now remains is to sharpen them further before the continental finals start later this month.

There have been calls for Bafana to play against the so-called top nations as part of the preparations for the upcoming 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco. Local football's governing body has managed to secure a mouthwatering match against one of the teams that will compete in the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America as the final preparatory game for Hugo Broos' side. 

Thomas Tuchel believes England's 2026 World Cup draw is "tough" and claimed that the group stage is "always the most difficult". The German coach, who will lead the Three Lions into a major tournament for the first time next summer, stressed that Group L - featuring Croatia, Ghana and Panama - provides no margin for complacency.

Ghana boss Otto Addo has urged Antoine Semenyo to take the "next step" and leave Bournemouth amid links with Liverpool and Manchester City. The 25-year-old has a £65 million ($87m) release clause, which is only active until a specific date in the January transfer window. As teams consider a move for him, his national manager thinks it is "natural" for the flying winger to secure a transfer away.