Twenty-two (22) players made the trip as the Black Meteors of Ghana jetted off to Mozambique Thursday night for the first leg of their 2023 Under-23 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) qualifying second-round tie.
Coach Ibrahim Tanko’s side will be arriving in Maputo by Friday afternoon after a brief stopover in South African capital Johannesburg.
Tanko got about six weeks of preparations for the game scheduled for Estádio do Zimpeto on Sunday, October 23.
The 22-man squad includes some top Ghana Premier League stars like Danlad Ibrahim, Daniel Afriyie Barnieh, Dominic Nsobila and Razak Yusif.
Also, former Dreams FC captain and Rio Ave right-back Philemon Baffour joined the squad for the trip.
Ghana – who participated in the 2019 Afcon but failed to qualify for the Beijing Olympics – will be hoping for favourable results in Maputo ahead of the second leg in Kumasi on October 30.
The aggregate winner goes on to battle DR Congo or Algeria in the third and final qualifying round of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games’ qualifying tournament in March 2023.
Seven (7) nations will qualify to join hosts Morocco for the 4th edition of the U-23 Afcon in June 2023.
Travelling Squad:
Goalkeepers (2):
Danlad Ibrahim (Asante Kotoko), William Emmanuel Essu (Legon Cities)
Defenders (6):
Augustine Randolf (Karela United), Aaron Essel (Bechem United), David Oppong Afrane (King Faisal), Eugene Ampofoh Amankwah (Benab FC), Bismark Anim (Mighty Jets), Philemon Baffour (Rio Ave, Portugal)
Midfielders (6):
Seidu Suraj (Hearts of Oak), Dominic Nsobila (Accra Lions), Hafiz Ibrahim (Attram de Visser Academy), Abass Salifu Samari (Accra Lions), Emmanuel Adjei (Attram de Visser Academy), Sylvester Simba (Dreams FC)
Wingers (4):
Samuel Abbey Ashie Quaye (Great Olympics), Hagan Frimpong (Accra Lions), Ishmael Dede (Dreams FC), Isaac Akwasi Sebeh, Clinton Duodu (Bechem United)
Strikers (3):
Daniel Afriyie-Barnieh (Hearts of Oak), Abdul-Razak Yusif (Great Olympics), Alex Opoku Sarfo (Benab FC)
