1. Posted on Wednesday 23 June 2010 - 20:48

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   Gbentil

   

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   Glorea Bentil, AfricaNews reporter in Accra, Ghana

   Ghana advanced to the second round of the ongoing World Cup in South Africa despite a 1-0 defeat to Germany on Wednesday. The sole hope of Africa came second in Group D after Germany to square their maiden World Cup record four years back. They would face USA in their next game.

   

   The European side were aggressive upfront, allowing the Ghanaians to respond with swift counterattacks. Neither side managed to score before the half, but playmaker Mesut Oezil struck on the hour mark to lift the Germans to victory and a first place finish in Group D. Following Australia's 2-1 win over Serbia, Ghana took second.
   
   Having lost to Serbia in their second group match, the Germans faced a must-win scenario against Ghana. Nonetheless, coach Joachim Loew opted not to take a more aggressive stance than in previous matches, preferring his 4-2-3-1 shape over a multi-striker system. For the Germans, Cacau replaced suspended striker Miroslav Klose while Loew replaced unimpressive left-back Holger Badstuber with Jerome Boateng.
   
   Ghana, by contrast, needed just a single point to advance to the round of 16, and coach Milovan Rajevac chose his starting line-up accordingly. The Serbia native retained his conservative 4-2-3-1 formation, and made just one change to his starting XI as John Mensah replaced Lee Addy, joining his namesake, Jonathan Mensah, in central defence.
   
   Despite the loss Ghanaians partied deep into the night to celebrate their advancement to the next stage.

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Reactions

1. Posted on Thursday 24 June 2010 01:01

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   Ghana Gharvey

   

   
   15 berichten
   Lid sinds January 2010

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   I Love Ghana. So Please See The Following Words As My Love For Ghana In Actions That I Think Will Help Ghana .
   
   WORLD CUP TEAM 2010
   
   Ghana’s Style of Play :
   
   1) Very Energetic
   
   2) Very Aggressive
   
   3) Tendencies To Dribble Too Much / Dribbling Into The Crowd
   
   4) Very Little Inside Play
   
   5) Taking Too Many Long Shots (Like Three Pointers In Basketball )
   
   6) Porous Defense
   Defenders Too Deep On The Offensive End Leading To Fast Breaks For Opponent
   
   7) Too Many Long Gambling Passes ( Quick Turnovers)
   
   8) Defensive Offense (Steals Leading To Fast Breaks)
   
   * Not Using The Whole Width Of the Field
   
   * Repeated Tendencies To Hold The Ball Too Long (Until Opponent Is Up On Them)
   
   * Too much 1 ON 11 Individual Dribbling
   
   * Excessive Attempts Of High-Difficulty Homerun Passes ; Leading To Turnovers
   And Opportunities For Our Opponents
   
   * Atrocious Time Of Possession Balance : We’re Spending Ridiculous Amounts Of Time On Our Heels (Defensive); Taking A Lot Of Energy And Incentive From Us
   
   9) Interior Passing Getting Better At Times
   
   10) Goaltending Getting Better
   
   
   What Adjustments Can Ghana Make ?
   
   1) Pass The Ball Quicker : This Will Tire Your Opponents And Keep You Out Of Turnover Situations
   
   2) When You Get On The Scoring End of The Field Have More Control And Confidence With Your Inside Play.
   
   * I Suggest That You Work The Ball Laterally From Corner To Middle To Corner As Your Scorers Move Without The Ball For A Scoring Angle.
   
   3) Defenders Should Resist Getting In Too Deep On The Scoring End. Many Of
   
   * Our Opponents’ Breaks Have Come As A Result Of Our Defenders Being In Too Deep On The Scoring End.
   
   4) Continue To Be Sharp With Your Good Anticipation Of Passes From Your Opponents That Have Lead To Your Getting Many Steals.
   
   5) Be More Patient Using Lateral Passing Rather Than Those Risky Trying To Squeeze It In Vertical Passes.
   
   6) Use The Whole Width Of The Field Left , Middle, Right (Vice-Versa). This Will :
   
   a) Help You Keep Possession Of The Ball Longer (You Have More Chances To Score When You Have The Ball)
   
   b) This Will Also Put You Opponents On Their Heels; Tiring Them And Inspiring Us
   
   7) Pace Yourselves And Resist The tendencies To Go One (1) On Eleven (11). The Goal Is The World Cup.
   
   * We’ve Won The Under 21, Now Let’s Win The Over 21 !!!
   Go Ghana…
   
   “ Up You Mighty Race ! You Can Accomplish What You Will !!! “
   - Marcus Garvey
   
   Ghana Gharvey (http://livinginblack.ning.com/)

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