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Nigeria vs Ghana LIVE!
Nigeria regained some confidence with a narrow friendly win over West African rivals Ghana in Friday’s friendly in Marrakech, despite the absence of Victor Osimhen. Rangers striker Cyriel Dessers scored a first-half penalty for handball, and Ademola Lookman also fired in off-time. The bench after the Black Stars were reduced to 10 men following the sacking of Jerome Opoku.
Crystal Palace’s Jordan Ayew came close to bringing about an endgame with his stoppage-time penalty after Bright Osayi-Samuel brought down Antoine Semenyo, but there wasn’t enough time for dynamic Ghana to pull off a last-minute equaliser in an entertaining clash in Morocco. Victory over their rivals will give Nigeria an undeniable taste after last month’s crushing Africa Cup of Nations final loss to hosts Ivory Coast, and interim coach and Super Eagles legend Finidi George hopes to secure the full-time coaching task in the coming weeks.
Another defeat for Ghana after their dreadful last AFCON campaign, in which they embarrassingly collapsed at an organisational level, but an experimental squad missing several key names has given plenty of reason to be wary of optimism about coach Otto Addo’s return ahead of Tuesday’s clash with Uganda. Follow Nigeria vs Ghana live below!
GOAL! Ayew from the penalty spot after a foul on Semenyo
GOAL! Substitute Lookman was sent off at the end of the second.
RED CARD! Opoku leaves for Ghana
GOAL! For dessert, a penalty after handball
18:12, George Flood
Nigeria are clinging to a morale-boosting win to regain some confidence after their agonising Africa Cup of Nations final defeat to Ivory Coast last month.
It’s by no means an old Super Eagles function without Victor Osimhen, but it wouldn’t have hurt Finidi George’s chances of securing the permanent training task ahead of another friendly against Mali in Marrakech on Tuesday night.
Another difficult result for Ghana to achieve after their last absence from the AFCON, but it was an experimental team missing many key players who propelled Nigeria with 10 men.
There are plenty of positives to take from the return of coach Otto Addo, whose team will face Uganda on Tuesday.
18:06, George Flood
Full-time
18:06, George Flood
98 mins: We’re betting well because time is ticking after Ghana’s penalty kick.
Semenyo’s hard long-distance push held up well through Nwabali.
18:02, George Flood
95 mins: Brilliantly achieved through the Crystal Palace striker, who shows wonderful composure to roll the ball into the corner and send Nwabali in.
Abdul Fatawu picks up the ball and returns to the halfway line.
Surely there is no time left to equalize with the last breath, right?
17:59, George Flood
94 mins: Ghana receive a delayed penalty in Marrakech after Semenyo was awkwardly brought down by Osayi-Samuel.
Ayew intervenes to take. . .
17:57, George Flood
90 minutes: All credits go to Ghana, which has not yet surrendered here.
Semenyo misses the target from a corner and is injured in the process.
The Bournemouth man had his chances in Marrakesh.
Five minutes of added time were cancelled due to Ghana making some delayed changes.
17:55, George Flood
88 minutes: Ghana still have now?
Ayew purposely blocked a shot from another free-kick and brought Nwabali down!
Crystal Palace’s mainstay has been genuine since this afternoon’s set-pieces.
17:50, George Flood
84 minutes: Game, set and match!
A brilliant finish from substitute Lookman as he beat a helpless Ati-Zigi from inside the box to secure Nigeria’s bragging rights.
Ghana’s impressive 10 was broken regardless.
17:47, George Flood
79 mins: Ayew’s short free-kick sets up Lamptey, whose attempt is blocked by Nwabali.
All 10 men are from here.
Ayew cleared the corner from the right, but Nigeria controlled to clear their lines.
17:46, George Flood
78 minutes: Tanimu is injured and it looks like Nigeria will continue for now.
Ghana with a chance to take a free kick after a foul on Ernest Nuamah.
17:43, George Flood
76 mins: A huge chance for Ghana’s 10 men to equalise in the last 15 minutes in Marrakesh.
Semenyo was unable to make it home after Ayew’s cross from close range.
How did you make contact there?!
A real stage for the Super Eagles.
17:42, George Flood
75 mins: Onyemaechi’s cry of frustration after his blocked shot.
17:40, George Flood
72 mins: Nwabali’s brave goalkeeper takes a painful blow to the head while frustrating Ayew as fiery Ghana cause more disorder in the box.
Unai Simon and Raphael Onyedika arrived via Nigerian coach Finidi George.
17:36, George Flood
70 mins: Iwobi is about to arrive in Nigeria, but is thwarted by a great play by Lamptey.
It sounded like a foul, the whistles go quiet and nothing is given.
17:35, George Flood
68 mins: Nigeria seem to be patient at the moment and seem content with some of the tension from the 10 men up front before exploiting the inevitable spaces left behind.
A wild volley from close range by Onyemaechi went over the crossbar before Iheanacho sent clear but frustrated through the offside flag.
17:32, George Flood
64 mins: Undeterred by the sending off, Ghana have yet to force the challenge and see a lot of the ball on their right side.
Mohammed Kudus still lacks spark in attack.
17:30, George Flood
61 mins: Dessers directs an attractive cross from Onyemaechi that goes wide for Nigeria after a preseason play involving Iwobi.
Hoffenheim’s Kasim Adams is now up for grabs for Ghana following the sending off.
Forson Amankwah has been retired.
17:27, George Flood
59 mins: We still don’t know why this sending off ended. Dissent, perhaps?
The Ghanaian and coach Otto Addo looked perplexed.
They are now looking to bounce back with ten men after a brilliant and different start in the second half following the arrival of Lamptey.
Now they have a mountain to climb. . .
17:23, George Flood
57 mins: Confusion reigns in Marrakech when Ghanaian defender Jerome Opoku has been shown a red card by referee Jayed Jalal.
Not what it was. . .
17:21, George Flood
55 mins: Lamptey is Ghana’s offensive architect when his floating cross from the right heads through Ayew, leading to Nwabali pushing wide.
17:20, George Flood
53 mins: Iheanacho cuts through the middle and beats Edmund Addo before sending a low shot not far wide of the back post.
A decent pace for this part at the moment.
17:17, George Flood
50 minutes: Much more in the first exchanges of this moment, starting so far away from Ghana, who are much more determined and threatening in attack.
They move the ball faster and ask questions of the Nigerian defence, and the spark comes largely from Lamptey’s arrival down the right flank.
17:15, George Flood
47 mins: A positive start to the moment by the Black Stars as they create danger in the Nigerian box and a low shot from Brighton’s Tariq Lamptey deflects backwards.
Otto Addo appears to have replaced Ghana’s two full-backs at half-time, along with Ebenezer Annan as well.
17:11, George Flood
We’re back on the pitch at the Stade de Marrakech and back on the road.
Ghanaians gather for a long time on the pitch before kick-off.
16:56, George Flood
Half-time
The Super Eagles went into the break ahead in Marrakech thanks to a penalty awarded by Rangers’ Cyriel Dessers for handball.
It might have been worse for Ghana if it had been for some good saves from goalkeeper Lawrence Ati-Zigi.
There’s a lot of work to be done for this heavily modified set of Black Stars.
16:52, George Flood
48 minutes: Good pressure generation from Ghana at the end of the break, but they don’t have the ball or the definitive credit at the moment.
Ayew had a chance to take a free-kick into the box from the right, but Nigeria made it clear after a pinball and the half-time whistle blew.
16:49, George Flood
46 mins: Three minutes of added time have been allotted as Nigeria again advance down the right flank, but the cross lacks quality.
Ghana then sped away and found themselves with a corner.
16:47, George Flood
43 mins: Ghana’s chances so far in the game are incredibly stored when Semenyo runs forward, but ends up firing an excellent shot into the stands.
16:45, George Flood
41 mins: A bit of Ghana recovery from goal, a little more attacking team spirit leads to sustained tension and a transparent corner.
But here are the Super Eagles again, doubling their lead before the break in Marrakech.
16:41, George Flood
37 mins: The penalty takes a while to arrive, as Ghana furiously protest the referee’s decision, leading to the yellow card being brandished.
A little play of spirit on the part of Ati-Zigi, who took a while to regain his line.
But Rangers leader Dessers remains unfazed as he puts the ball in place and coolly intervenes to send the goalkeeper away.
16:38, George Flood
34 mins: Nigeria are now ramping up their speed of work, pressuring Ghana on the pitch and forcing more ownership errors.
Nigeria has a handball penalty in the penalty area!
16:34, George Flood
30 mins: It’s a great chance for Nigeria in the 30th minute, as a clever free-kick from Iheanacho near the post almost goes through Dessers past Ati-Zigi, who gratefully claims it.
It was 1-0 for the Super Eagles.
16:33, George Flood
27 mins: A real lull in this game right now, as either side is at war for ownership in midfield.
There’s not much to impress, so coach Otto Addo returns from this experimental Ghanaian team.
Nigeria is still in the lead and struggles to create new opportunities.
16:27, George Flood
23 mins: Iwobi and Onyeka tried to push Nigeria forward, with a low shot, I think from Iheanacho, the box was blocked before Ghana tried to break quickly.
However, this temporarily fades away, allowing the Super Eagles to regain dominance.
16:24, George Flood
20 mins: Ghana advances with a succession of free kicks, Ayew’s pass from outside the right is repelled.
The Black Stars temporarily recovered, but a grim cross gently went through Stanley Nwabali in Nigeria’s goal.
16:21, George Flood
17 mins: Ghana are split and Iheanacho unleashes a hard half-volley that goes over Ati-Zigi.
The Super Eagles then shouted a penalty for handball in the box, but their warm calls were repelled by Moroccan referee Jayed Jalal.
16:19, George Flood
14 minutes: You can hear all the screams of the coaches from what is an empty stadium in Marrakech.
Ati-Zigi with another low save before Semenyo was injured for Ghana.
But he temporarily recovered.
16:16, George Flood
12 mins: It’s too rushed and frantic on Ghana’s part, which isn’t unexpected given the experimental nature of their team and the number of players eager to impress.
Nigeria took the lead with threat, Ati-Zigi choked out a loose ball.
16:13, George Flood
10 minutes: Good luck to Nigeria!
Kelechi Iheanacho created the box for a decent shot that flew low down the right through Ati-Zigi.
The Super Eagles took several corners in a row, but nothing came of it and they ended up conceding a loose kick.
16:12, George Flood
8 minutes: There is no genuine rhythm or fluidity in any of the early exchanges.
He’s combative, even if neither team helps keep the ball well.
A long pass from Ghana’s Baba Iddrisu destined for Antoine Semenyo’s run was protected by a purpose-kick shot.
A ball into the box for Jordan Ayew also ended up going in from behind.
16:09, George Flood
5 mins: At the beginning everything is a bit disjointed, either giving up a lot of possession or adding damaging defensive zones.
There’s no one else to talk to for now.
16:07, George Flood
3 mins: Nigeria put the pressure on early on in Marrakesh, forcing a tough save from the St. Louis goalkeeper. Gallen, Lawrence Ati-Zigi.
16:04, George Flood
BEGIN
Let’s go!
Ghana starts to help us get started.
This afternoon they wear their red uniform, while Nigeria wear white.
15:55, George Flood
They are at the Marrakech Stadium in Morocco!
Very soon we will start this clash between two West African rivals, a friendly match in any case.
15:45, George Flood
Crystal Palace striker Jordan Ayew is now Ghana’s captain and, along with Lens midfielder Salis Abdul Samed, one of only two players to retain their starting position in that dramatic late AFCON draw against Mozambique in January that ended sending them home earlier than expected.
With this multitude of absences, it is a team with an experimental Otto Addo with fellow Bournemouth striker Antoine Semenyo.
15:40, George Flood
Nigeria have four of the same starters as in last month’s AFCON final: goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali, West Brom defender Semi Ajayi, Brentford midfielder Frank Onyeka and Fulham’s Alex Iwobi.
Otherwise, everything changes, with striker Victor Osimhen, captain William Troost-Ekong, Samuel Chukwueze and Ola Aina sidelined.
Wilfred Ndidi returns to lead the midfield team with Kenneth Omeruo as his replacement.
The likes of Ademola Lookman had to settle for a bench position, while Finidi George opted for Leicester’s Kelechi Iheanacho and Rangers’ Cyriel Dessers to lead their attack.
The selection, however, is that of Benjamin Tanimu, the 21-year-old central defender who plays in Tanzania at Ihefu Sports Club.
He covered himself in defence in position of Fulham’s Calvin Bassey.
15:27, George Flood
Starting XI: Ati-Zigi, Seidu, Kpozo, Abdul Samed, Baba, Addo, Amankwah, Nuamah, Opoku, Semenyo, Ayew
Substitutes: Odoi, Adams, Fatawu, Bukari, Wollacott, Lamptey, Francis, Annan, Manaf Nurudeen, Osman, Asare
15:20, George Flood
Starting XI: Nwabali, Osayi-Samuel, Ajayi, Tanimu, Awaziem, Onyemaechi, Ndidi, Onyeka, Iwobi, Iheanacho, Dessers
Substitutes: Uzoho, Ojo, Collins, Lookman, Umar, Tella, Dele-Bashiru, Simon, Yusuf, Onyedika, Bassey, Omeruo
15:16, George Flood
Alex Iwobi spoke candidly about the cyberbullying he experienced at the Africa Cup of Nations in Côte d’Ivoire.
The former Arsenal and Everton winger has recovered from his ordeal in recent weeks, a key role for Fulham in form and goalscorer against the likes of Manchester United and Wolves.
“I haven’t realized all the competition,” Iwobi said of online abuse on the Project 17 podcast.
“At a press conference I was told, ‘Where’s the creativity?And I had to come up with the role that I had been assigned and I said I was the kind of person who would pay attention to my coach and strive to do what I’m doing. ” They told me to do it. “
He added: “I’m tired of social media, and honestly.
“I prefer to be genuine in genuine life. I’ve noticed other people abandon social media, like Stormzy and Jay-Z, without having it and I feel like they live in peace.
“I don’t need other people to think I’m involved because I’m not.
“We came to the conclusion that I needed to get back on social media and that it was important for other people to see how I was feeling, rather than writing a message thanking them for their help and saying that cyberbullying is wrong.
“Obviously now that I’m back and seeing messages, I said thank you but I didn’t need to go into details. It’s a crazy moment. “
15:02, George Flood
A little glimpse into Ghana’s dressing room at the Stade de Marrakech.
The Black Stars will wear their red Puma conversion uniforms this afternoon.
Official news coming soon!
Rocking out for today’s ? game! ?? ? ?? #BlackStars| #GHANGA pic. twitter. com/xgSpmeDIx6
– ?? Black Stars (@GhanaBlackstars) March 22, 2024
14:57, George Flood
Friendly or not, a clash with old rivals Ghana is a baptism of fire for Finidi George in his new role as interim Nigeria coach.
The Super Eagles hero has issued a rallying cry to his exhausted squad ahead of today’s meeting in Marrakech, to reconnect with the pain of wasting last month’s AFCON final ahead of this summer’s World Cup qualifiers.
“We finished in second place at the Africa Cup of Nations and everyone expects us to reach that maximum score and be even better in a short time,” George said this week, according to Adepoju Tobi Samuel.
“Our goal is to get results in those two games and stay positive ahead of the World Cup qualifiers.
“We call them friendlies, but there’s nothing friendly when you play, especially in Ghana.
“I’ve played against Ghana since the 1992 Africa Cup of Nations in Senegal.
“The matches between our countries are serious duels and our peoples perceive them as battles.
“The Black Stars didn’t do very well at the recent Africa Cup of Nations and will be keen to banish that memory.
“We will be missing 4 players who have retired due to injury, but I am in the team we have here and they will wear the green-white-green with pride and patriotic fervor. “
14:43, George Flood
Finidi George is a Nigerian legend, having made 62 international appearances for the Super Eagles between 1991 and 2002 and featured in two World Cups, as well as the 1994 Africa Cup of Nations.
Last year, the former Ajax, Real Betis, Mallorca and Ipswich winger earned the name of the Nigerian Professional Football League through Enyimba’s coaching and had been an assistant to former Nigeria coach Jose Peseiro, who left his post after his contract expired following AFCON’s final defeat last month. .
George is in charge of the double-header friendlies against Ghana and Mali and hopes to do enough to fill the full-time position he worked for.
Nigeria will have World Cup qualifiers against South Africa and Benin in June and will soon have Peseiro’s long-term replacement in place.
14:34, George Flood
Former 15-capped winger Otto Addo previously coached Ghana in 2022, replacing Serbia’s Milovan Rajevac on an interim basis and leading Ghana to the World Cup by defeating Nigeria.
He was then appointed to the permanent position, but left after the organisational level left for Qatar, replaced by technical adviser Chris Hughton.
In the past, Addo split his role in Ghana with a skills training position at Borussia Dortmund, but will leave the German giants in May to concentrate full-time in Ghana.
“I’m pleased to be back,” Addo said this week, according to Ghanasoccernet.
“It was attractive because when you compare the existing team to the AFCON team, there are a lot of substitutions.
“We have a lot of injuries, so I’ve got seven or eight new guys in camp with less experience, we’ve got a bright future.
“I’m looking forward to the game for the youngsters to show it and then the combination with those who have enjoyed and been with the team for a while and will advise them.
“It’s going to be a game. “
14:15, George Flood
The Ghanaian has been so strong in recent years that it’s hard to back him up against the defeated AFCON finalists.
Nigeria 2-0.
14:13, George Flood
There is no longer Thomas Partey for Ghana, the midfielder, who also did not play any role in AFCON and who remains at Arsenal to improve his form after an injury-plagued season so far.
Partey played for a Gunners side in a 4-0 behind-closed-doors friendly defeat to QPR on Thursday.
West Ham’s Mohammed Kudus will also play after a move reported this week, along with Joseph Paintsil, Inaki Williams and Majeed Ashimeru.
Nurudeen Abdulai and Fredrick Asare won late call-ups, along with Osman Bukari, Edmund Addo, Jerome Opoku, Forson Amankwaah, Ebenezer Annan, Baba Iddrisu and Francis Abu.
14:06, George Flood
Both are missing several key players for this afternoon’s clash in Marrakesh.
Nigeria’s long list of absentees is ruled by attacking talisman Victor Osimhen, who withdrew from the squad due to injury earlier this week and will also be unavailable for Tuesday night’s clash against Mali (also in Marrakesh).
Captain William Troost-Ekong is out after surgery, along with Nottingham Forest striker Taiwo Awoniyi and Empoli right-back Tyronne Ebuehi.
AC Milan star Samuel Chukwueze and Forest defender Ola Aina are among the other players also unavailable for interim coach Finidi George, as is Gabriel Osho, the Luton defender who earned his first senior call-up this month.
2:00 p. m. , George Flood
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Live Stream: The UK audience can see the Bet365 bookmaker’s setting.
13:55, George Flood
Hello and welcome to Standard Sport’s policy of Nigeria supporting Ghana as West African rivals meet once again in a high-profile friendly in Marrakech, Morocco.
Today’s match represents the first match for either group since last year’s Africa Cup of Nations, where the Super Eagles suffered a harrowing turnaround by host Ivory Coast and were narrowly beaten in last month’s final.
Super Eagles legend Finidi George is temporarily in charge of Nigeria this month following the departure of former coach Jose Peseiro, his chances of impressing enough to settle for the task permanently have been threatened by the absence of several key players, he added. Victor Osimhen.
On the other bench is Otto Addo, the former Borussia Dortmund player and coach who was reappointed to update Chris Hughton after the Black Stars’ back-to-back AFCON dismal performance in which they were again eliminated from the organizational phase.
Bragging rights are at stake as two new eras begin in the so-called Jollof Derby, which begins this afternoon at 4 p. m. GMT.
Stay tuned for preparation, the latest team news and updates from the Marrakech stadium.