In their second international friendly game of the October window, the Black Stars of Ghana experienced a crushing defeat at the hands of the United States of America (USA).
The match featured a rather comical first-half performance from Ghana, as the Americans scored four unanswered goals within the opening 40 minutes. Giovanni Reyna, in particular, stood out with a brace.
Reyna initiated the scoring for the USA in the 10th minute, capitalizing on a defensive lapse from the Black Stars to secure an early lead for his team.
The lead was doubled in the 19th minute, as AC Milan forward Christian Pulisic successfully converted a penalty after Timothy Weah was fouled in the box.
The third goal was swiftly added, with Weah’s pressure on debutant Jerome Opoku resulting in an error, allowing Folarin Balogun to extend the lead to three.
Ghana narrowly avoided a more significant deficit in the 30th minute when Balogun’s close-range header was safely held by Abdul Manaf Nurudeen. Nurudeen was called into action again five minutes later, denying Pulisic from adding to his goal tally.
Reyna continued his brilliant performance in the 40th minute, netting his second goal and the USA’s fourth. The Borussia Dortmund player played a crucial role in a well-executed free-kick routine.
Ghana’s first shot on target in the October international break came from Mohammed Kudus, who forced an excellent save from Matt Turner just after conceding.
After the halftime break, coach Chris Hughton made one change, bringing on Kingsley Schindler to replace Gideon Mensah. Both teams displayed limited attacking intent in the second half.
The game concluded with the USA securing victory with their four-goal lead from the opening half.
Hughton made six changes to the team that faced Mexico, with Nurudeen, Alidu Seidu, Jerome Opoku, Edmund Addo, Jordan Ayew, and Inaki Williams entering the starting lineup.
Ghana’s international break ended with two defeats, having previously lost 0-2 to Mexico over the weekend. The four-time African champions will regroup next month to begin the qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup and will later travel to Ivory Coast in January for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.
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