Black Galaxies captain Gladson Awako praised the team after their 3-0 victory over Benin in the first leg of the 2022 African Nations Championship (CHAN) qualifying tie.
Awako scored a brilliant goal, and his Hearts of Oak teammates Daniel Afriyie Barnieh and Mohammed Alhassan also scored, to secure victory in Cape Coast.
Ghana made a strong start, and their pressure paid off in the 25th minute when Barnieh scored a penalty to put Galaxies ahead.
Medeama’s Jonah Attuaquaye scored in the 36th minute, but it was controversially ruled out for offside, as Ghana won the first half 1-0.
Ghana players came out for the second half with a positive attitude, and it only took them five minutes to double their lead thanks to Alhassan’s great finish inside the box.
Captain Awako sealed the victory with a late third.
“It’s very good teamwork. We really worked hard for this game and you all can see we did well on the field. I know it’s not done yet so we will prepare and go for the second leg,” Awako said.
The second leg is set to take place on Saturday, July 30 in Porto-Novo, with the winner facing Nigeria in the final round.
Ghana hopes to return to the championship after missing the previous three editions. In the first three editions, Black Galaxies finished second twice.
