Doha. If you’re already king, then what?
Henceforth, Muhammad Kudus would be received as a deity upon his return home to Accra.
They had to work hard, but Ghana’s dream of a World Cup remains.
In 1993, Maria and Felix Williams left the Ghanaian capital, Accra, and crossed the desert on foot with burning sand under their soles in the hope of reaching Europe. Everything to give the son who was in his mother’s womb, Inaki, better living conditions.
Inaki Williams, like his younger brother Nico, could have represented the Spanish national team. At home in the Basque Country in 2010, 17-year-old Inaki followed the lead of the South African Black Stars, marked by core culture, albeit with Ghanaian blood coursing through his veins.
Williams didn’t officially decide to play for his parents’ country until June 2022, a decision made after a trip to Accra.
South Korea started strong
Twenty minutes into the encounter with South Korea on Monday afternoon at Education City Stadium, Inaki Williams only touched the ball twice. The striker wasn’t alone in the Ghanaian side, hardly getting hurt. Not to mention when someone severely deflected a corner kick (Korea Republic have already scored seven goals).
But so what. Once a situation arises, it is important to take full advantage of the situation.
Jordan Ayew and Mohamed Kodos quickly leaned in on a free kick on the left wing. The latter sidestepped the ball, whereupon Ayew sent it into the penalty area with a powerful inside screw. Whoever was there, however, Mohamed Salisu, after endless VAR review, was allowed to celebrate the 1-0 goal that sent the entire Ghanaian bench to the pitch cheering.
It was noted that national team captain Otto Addo wanted to direct the game towards his left wing. Shortly after the main goal, Ayew found himself in a similar situation with the ball and met another pass, this time against Kodos who pushed his front 2-0.
Rina BermodaTriangelen
Can one spot on the pitch be more magical than another? The left, north-facing side of the rink appeared for a while like the Bermuda Triangle. But rather than disappearing under mysterious circumstances, players made assists to score goals from the center.
South Korea came out after half-time, mounting in two quick crosses from the left, first from Kim Jin-Sun and then Lee Kang-In. Last on the ball on both occasions was Cho Goo-sung who steered Ghana home on three minutes.
16 per cent of all World Cup players in 2022 represent a country other than the one in which they were born. Among African teams, Ghana has the fewest foreign-born players (six), while Morocco has the most (14).
From king to God
Mohamed Kodos was born in Accra. When he was 18 years old, he left his hometown to seek his fortune in northern Danish New Zealand. Four years later, he is greeted as king every time he visits the area where his family, Nima, still live.
Is there anything higher than a king? Maybe God? The question is whether the action in the 68th minute of the match deserves a promotion. Williams was booked to assist (it’s unclear if that was on purpose) when Kodos appeared at the far end of the penalty area and rolled in the score 3-2 behind Kim Sung-gyu.
The rhythms of the stands continued long after the final whistle (ten minutes more!). The victory was far from secure, with goalkeeper Lawrence Atti blaming Ziggy responsible for a good save at the end, but Ghana held on despite losing 3-2 to Portugal in their opener.
Boiling optimism
It’s a nice mix of seniors and juniors that national team captain Addo has to work with in this tournament.
Andre Ayew was born in Seclin, France in 1989 and Jordan in Marseille in 1991. Andre made his World Cup appearance alongside his older brother Ibrahim in 2010, when teenager Inaki Williams was at home on the TV couch in Basque Country watching the quarter-finals.
Ghana has not always been given the best conditions by its federation. They probably remember the players’ dissatisfaction and their threats of a boycott in connection with the 2014 World Cup. But after a few turbulent years, optimism is boiling again in the jumble with assets in France, England and Spain, but above all in West Africa.