The Black Stars of Ghana were no match for Japan as they succumbed to a heavy defeat in the 2022 Kirin Cup on Friday.
The 2022 Kirin Cup hosts Japan, beat the West African country 4-1 at the Noevir Stadium to book a place in the final. This is because only four nations are participating in this year’s tournament.
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The encounter served as a good test for both sides as preparation for the upcoming World Cup later in November.
Coach Otto Addo’s side struggled to get going in the opening 45 minutes.
The Black Stars had their defence breached in the 29th minute after Miki Yamane finished off a beautiful team move to give the hosts the lead.
Japan’s opener against Ghana#Japan #BlackStars pic.twitter.com/Qnk3v5C9C9
— Primenews (@primenewsghana) June 10, 2022
Ghana restored parity following Jordan Ayew’s strike from outside the box in the 44th minute.
Jordan Ayew’s equalizer against Japan#Jordan #Japan pic.twitter.com/tMrXZ9aE7e
— Primenews (@primenewsghana) June 10, 2022
However, the Black Stars celebration was short-lived as Japan took the lead again a minute later.
Kaoru Mitoma’s curler from distance in the 45th minute went past Lawrence Ati-Zigi as the first half ended 2-1 in favour of Japan.
Dominant Japan after the recess scored two more to make the score line 4-1.
Takefusa Kubo and Daizen Maeda got on the scoresheets in the 73rd and 82nd minute respectively to put the game beyond Ghana’s reach at the Noevir Stadium.
Earlier, goals from Ali Abdi and Issam Jebali on either side of the half gave Tunisia a 2-0 win over Chile in the inaugural game of the Kirin Cup tournament.
By virtue of today’s wins, Japan will face Tunisia in the final while the two losing teams, Ghana and Chile slug it out for the third place.
