A great midfield maestro has been discovered in Majeed Ashimeru following his excellent debut performance in Ghana’s 1-1 draw with Angola in Luanda yesterday.
Angola held Ghana to a 1-1 draw in the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifier on Monday in Luanda.
Both teams split the victory in a fiercely contested game after Osman Bukari’s late goal offset Lucas Joao’s early second-half goal.
Majeed Ashimeru, a midfielder for RSC Anderlecht, excelled against Angola on Monday in the 2023 AFCON qualifiers in Luanda.
Ashimeru assisted Ghana to a 1-1 draw, keeping them in first place and extending their qualifying unbeaten streak to four games.
When Chris Hughton replaced Edmund Addo with Majeed Ashimeru in the 71st minute, Ashimeru quickly found his footing and took control of the midfield. He contributed to Osman Bukari’s equalizer, which spared Hughton’s face.
The midfielder demonstrated his superb passing ability and unerring sense of the game, greatly aiding Ghana’s eventual draw.
Ashimeru’s outstanding performance has given Asamoah Gyan’s complaints from last year regarding the player’s exclusion from the World Cup squad justification. With this outstanding performance, Ashimeru is probably going to get more chances to demonstrate his abilities on a global stage.
Ghanaians have taken to Twitter to hail Majeed Ashimeru after producing an excellent performance against Angola.
Who is this guy ?🤐🤐🤐🤐 pic.twitter.com/ltmuMyDd6O
— ASAMOAH GYAN (@ASAMOAH_GYAN3) March 27, 2023
🇬🇭 Majeed Ashimeru vs Angola (A) | Playmaker ⭐️
🎥 @DenzComps pic.twitter.com/KIGDWTAk6U
— Owuraku Ampofo (@_owurakuampofo) March 27, 2023
Majeed Ashimeru in 18 minutes
100% completed passes
100% long balls completed
1 big chance createdRemarkable! pic.twitter.com/O596WlDZjA
— Fentuo Tahiru Fentuo (@Fentuo_) March 27, 2023
Majeed Ashimeru came in with a Top class performance 🇬🇭 pic.twitter.com/rTcX1SxjmW
— Mufc🇾🇪✍🏾 (@UTDKenny_) March 27, 2023
Can’t believe we had this guy on the bench all along. Majeed Ashimeru needs more game time pic.twitter.com/vBajwRnBpm
— BurnHard ™️ (@Burn_Hard1213) March 27, 2023
The most intriguing part of Majeed Ashimeru’s stats vs Angola is the fact that out of the 9 accurate passes he had in 18 minutes, SEVEN (7) out of the 9 accurate passes were forward zone passes.
The maker is indeed a Playmaker 🌟 pic.twitter.com/r0oIscfOLl
— Yaw Ampofo Jr (@Yaw_Ampofo_) March 28, 2023
A better midfield in this game would have been Salis, Addo and Ashimeru. Would have been a lot better. But that would mean some big names don't play.
— SITSO (@OfficialSitso) March 27, 2023
Do you now side with Asamoah Gyan on his anger when Majeed Ashimeru was denied call up
Proper baller pic.twitter.com/RV2XGdPwsZ— Enzo's School Son💙 (@LowkeyMelky) March 27, 2023
Angola had a penalty call disallowed within the first five minutes of the game despite having the upper hand.
The Black Antelopes’ captain Gilberto launched a free kick directly into Ati Zigi’s waiting arms, giving them the game’s first shot on goal.
After 26 minutes, Ayew found space on the right and found Kudus, who then passed the ball to Addo, but the midfielder’s attempt was off target.
The best opportunity of the first half, however, belonged to Angola, who flawlessly executed a brilliant counterattacking move before Ati Zigi made an equally brilliant save to deny them the opening goal.
Amartey fouled his defender in the box, leading to a penalty, and the Black Stars were made to pay for their sluggishness early in the second half.
In the 50th minute, Lucas Joao stepped up and scored from the penalty spot to give Angola a justifiable lead.
Hughton attempted to save the game by substituting Joseph Paintsil, Osman Bukari, and Inaki Williams for Semenyo, Sulemana, and Kudus as the hosts continued to dominate.
The replacements quickly became effective after Paintsil installed Bukari.
Salis Samed’s pass put Painstil in position to score late in the match, but his shot was blocked just as the game was about to end 1-1.
As a result, Ghana now leads Group E and is three points ahead of Central African Republic (CAR), which is in second place.
