Daniel Agyei, Black Satellites goalie“I had a feeling that Maicon might miss, or I might have saved his penalty, because he took such a long time to take it”

Rogerio, Brazil coach“I am proud of my team and the performances we have put in during the tournament. The players were excellent and we controlled the game today, even before the sending off. We wasted a number of chances in the match but when it came to the penalty shoot-out we have nothing to be upset about.

“Lady Luck plays the biggest role in shoot-outs. She deserted us and we lost the cup. We decided to take Douglas off in the first half because Ghana’s left back David Addy was causing us a lot of trouble. My player was on a yellow card and I was worried he would get sent off.”

Sellas Tetteh, Ghana coach
“We are worthy winners of this tournament. When Daniel Addo was sent off I wasn’t alarmed as I went through the same thing two years ago in the U17 World Cup in Korea when Brazil were again the opponents.

“But we have beaten them today because we adapted our game. I have now become the first coach to lead an African team to this cherished title and I hope that I will soon be leading the Ghana first team to victory in the African Cup of Nations and then the World Cup.”

Now, Ghana have just won the WORLD Youth Championship in some shaky fashion at the tournament in Egypt. They just about underlined the superiority by beating the Selecao on penalties.

First half

Ghana started like they have done all-tournament-long, on a slow, sluggish pace. The team gave folks here the complete set of jitters. But of course, the highlight was the sending off of Daniel Addo in the 37th minute. It was a harsh and needless decision by the ref, because he (Addo) was not the last man.

Yes, Addo fouled his opponent. Yes, he deserved a yellow, but no, not a straight red.

That decision changed the way the game was played from then on. Brazil piled on the pressure but Ghana coach Sellas Tetteh’s decision not to effect a change was brave. In the end he was proved right.

Ghana, playing with ten men, went into the half-time interval on the back foot and came back in the second pretty much the same. Ghana failed to have a single shot on goal in the first 45.

Second half

Though it was pretty much the same, the Satellites started putting passes together, a massive improvement from a listless first half performance. The story of the second half was of how Brazil managed to throw away chance after chance.

Alex Teixeira should have scored yet he contrived to head wide from Diogo’s centre and Alan Kardec had a golden opportunity, but headed straight at Daniel Agyei when a ball was floated to him. Rafael Toloi eased a great pass for Alan Kardec to lead on, but he fired into the side netting. Kardec, named after a French philospher, was culpable again as he missed another chance seconds later.

As the game reached the 75th minute, Ghana were having some of the ball but still Brazil looked the more menacing. Andre Ayew, the captain of Ghana, looked unbelievably mature today, playing a style of get-pass-deliver that is quite unlike him. Emmanuel Agyemang and Rabiu were huge in midfield and goalie Daniel Agyei would surely have more than a few girls for free when he gets back.

So with this, the Satellites forced the game into extras – but not before there was more drama to be told. With the Ghana captain Dede Ayew trying to make a move into the Brazilian box, he clashed with Rafael Toloi and they both looked crocked for the rest of the game.

Extra time

More of the same but the possession was mostly Brazil didn’t looked short as Rafael was walking with a pronounced limp. Yet he stayed on and his team mate Maicon forced Daniel Agyei into a priceless save.

The stunned look on Maicon’s face could have been auctioned for millions at Sotheby’s. The save seemed to increase Ghana;s resolve and Sellas Tetteh made a change. He replaced Abeiku Quansah with Opoku Agyemang.

But it changed little and we had to go to penalties.

Penalties

Brazil opened the scoring in the penalty kicks but Ghana responded with a Andre Ayew goal. Samuel Inkoom scored as well after Brazil had netted again.

The third and fourth attempts by Jonathan Mensah and Bright Addae were saved by the Brazilian goalkeeper Rafael.

However, Ghana keeper Daniel Agyei blocked Brazil’s fourth and fifth kicks to keep the Black Satellites back in contention of a major title as Dominic Adiyiah converted his kick.

Teixeira saw his shot, the sixth kick, fly over the crossbar and Ghana were handed the initiative.

And the moment glory fell on Agyemang Badu who displaced Rafael to claim for Ghana gold in a dramatic finish.

End

So, Ghana have done the historic double, winning the African title earlier this year and now this. Spectacular.

Line up: Daniel Agyei, Samuel Inkoom, David Addy, Jonathan Mensah, Daniel Addo, Agyemang Badu, Abeiku Quansah/Opoku Agyemang, Rabiu Mohammed/Bright Addae, Dominic Adiyiah, Ransford Osei/Kassenu Ghandi, Andre Ayew

Subs: Opoku Agyemang, Latif Salifu, Kassenu Ghandi, Bright Addae, Philip Boampong, Gladson Awako, Opoku Agyemang, Robert Dabuo, Daniel Opare, John Benson, Joseph Addo

The time is nigh and Ghana is in a state of perpetual flux. Ghana plays Brazil for the third time in this comeptition’s history and both teams have an agenda. I’ve done a lot on Ghana during the course of the games, so we’ll do the Selecao instead.

Brazil
They have been called Egypt 2009’s most complete side and it is quite understandable. Brazil have scored 14 goals in 6 games, only superceded by Spain and the team they face later today -Ghana. While others may have scored more, these guys have played a brand of football is not strange to those who know anything about the ‘joga bonito’

Their record in this comepetition is well known (won 4 times and appeared severally) but I want to concentrate on coach Rogerio Laurenco (pictured).

The 37-year-old may not be the most experienced of coaches but he has shown he’s the perfect man for the job. The former defender was a player himself not that long ago and when he hung up his boots in 2001 at just 30 years of age, he went straight to coaching, starting off in the youth divisions of his old playing club, Flamengo.

It’s worth noting that he has the record for the most goals scored by a defender in Flamengo’s history.

Today, part of his job description includes helping Brazil’s national senior team coach, Dunga while also taking charge of the country’s under-aged teams. Lourenco said:

“Of course there is pressure to win. Anyone who coaches in Brazil knows this.”

Brazil’s coach hopes that “facing another attacking team, like Brazil, means that the football will be better to watch” considering the two teams have scored 30 goals between them.

At this tournament the guy has whipped his team into an attacking machine spearheaded by Alex Teixeira and Alan Kardec. The captain, Giulano, also has that hold on his peers that natural captains seem to possess. In the line-up is Douglas Costa – the man who was among the most-feared before the tournament started on September 24.

Yet, he has been largely benched and has played only 3 matches and scored once. Why the coach has done that is beyond me but he’s the gaffer. Here’s how they beat Costa Rica in the semis.

What to expect

Ghana and Brazil have been here before in 1993. In that final in Sydney, Ghana took a 1-0 lead after a quarter of an hour, but Brazil equalized five minutes after the restart and sealed what was their third title with the winning strike two minutes before the end of normal time.

So, Senor Lourenco would be looking to do it again.

His team’s 14 goals have been scored from all sides of the fields by different players, unlike Ghana who have had half of theirs’ by Dominic Adiyiah. That means the Satellites must be wary of anybody in yellow and green.

Out of their sixteen, 11 of Ghana’s goals have come on the other side of halftime, and both Brazil and Ghana have come from behind to win twice, so don’t count out either if they start slowly.

Referee: Frank de Bleeckere, Belgium

This is how Ghana beat Hungary in the semis.

Game on!

Yet, that is what happened. The Asians went ahead through their skipper before the typical poacher’s strike came from Ransford Osei’s foot. And then the hope was back. Ghana played like demons were after them, steadily threading passes together and putting things in order.

The pressure paid off and Dominic Adiyiah did the trick. But there are questions about the Satellites spirit against more formidable opponents. Can they afford such laxity against England? I doubt.

Adiyiah was quite suspect and with the exception of his goal, he was not too good for me. As for captain Dede Ayew, a sterner referee may not have been too lenient with the way he kept falling so easily (and sometimes so theatrically.)

After this narrow win, some are calling for Gladson Awako to replace Opoku Agyemang.

Well, maybe Sellas would know what to tell them before the next game with England on the 29th (Tuesday)

I keep asking if the team have gelled enough. Do you think they have?

And he did it with his team of Black Stars at the Ohene Djan Stadium. the atmosphere was nothing short of electric and the boys cruised to victory with a minimum of fuss.

Work done. 2010 is at the corner. Yawn.

Yet I had the distinct feeling that the mood in the country was one of simple joy not wild ecstasy like it was the first time Ghana qualified for Germany. Well, maybe the people here are getting used to being World Cuppers. Sheesh.

See the highlights of the game then:

Well done to the Black Stars and with that they become the 8th country (overall) to get tickets to SA and the first in Africa.

More were expected by late evening and this morning too. Those in included big boys – captain Stephen Appiah and his deputy John Mensah.

Appiah arrived from his Italy base while John Mensah arrived from England. He has completed his switch to Sunderland from Olympique Lyonnnais. Goalkeeper George Owu and Asamoah Gyan are also around. Asamoah scored at the weekend for Rennes.

Also expected from around the world are John Pantsil, Matthew Amoah, Eric Addo, Haminu Dramani, Samuel lnkoom, Opoku Agyemang. As for Michael Essien, Anthony Annan and Richard Kingson, they will be expected to be in Tuesday night.

Ghana lead Group Four of the World Cup qualifiers with all nine points. Ghana will surely qualify for the World Cup if they beat Sudan and Mali hold Benin in Coutonou.

The 28-year-old was making his league return after suffering an ankle injury that kept him out of action for three weeks.

Amoah grabbed the second goal as he marked his return to the league from injury with a second-half goal in NAC Breda’s 2-0 over rivals Heerenveen in the Dutch top-flight.

But maybe Fulham’s Painstil would be playing in the Ghana – Sudan game with a horrible own goal on the back of his mind. The goal contributed to a 0-2 loss to Villa over the weekend ion England. Poor him.

Jubilo Iwata striker Ryoichi Maeda was also invited for the game in Holland, Japan coach Takeshi Okada said on Sunday.

The Asians will play the Black Stars in Utrecht on September 9 as part of their preparations for next year’s World Cup in South Africa.

Morimoto, who moved to the Italian side in 2006 after three seasons with J-League side Tokyo Verdy, has scored nine goals in 42 Serie A games.

He also netted in the season-opener last weekend against Sampdoria. Maeda, who has scored 12 goals in the J-League this season, replaced Yoshito Okubo after the Vissel Kobe forward withdrew with a back problem.

It will be the first time Maeda has joined the national team since the East Asian Championships in February last year.

“I was surprised by the sudden call-up, but I’ll do my best to play my 100 percent. I’ll do my best to take the chances on the pitch,” Maeda said in a statement issued by Iwata.

Espanyol midfielder Shunsuke Nakamura, Junichi Inamoto of Rennes, Makoto Hasebe of Wolfsburg and the in-form Keisuke Honda of Dutch side Venlo will join Morimoto from European clubs.

First-choice goalkeeper Seigo Narazaki will miss the Dutch tour after fracturing a finger during a J-League match last week.

He needs 10 weeks to fully recover.

Ghana delivered the win before the end of the first half but still pressed for more goals in the second. Despite that the Chipolopolo increased pressure on the Stars in the latter stages especially after Michael Essien made way for Stephen Appiah.

It must be said that the Swiss-based Samuel Inkoom did very very well in the game, not least by securing a penalty which Junior Agogo converted well. Those who had been to the Stars earlier training session said it was a replica of what he learned at the time.

The win was a redemptive gesture for both Agogo and another troubled man – Sulley Muntar. Sulley has not been in the green zone of fans especially after his mother said her son was indispensable.

Speaking of Inkoom, the injury to some players in the team and others’ inability to secure UK visas meant he played in midfield for the first time ever in his career.

He played like he’d been there all these years and I was impressed.

So the goals came from Sulley Muntari, Stoppilo Sunzo (own goal), Junior Agogo and Haminu Dramani. Stoppilo Sunzo scored Zambia’s only goal as well.

Says coach Rajevac: “We needed to keep winning, so it was important that we did that. Now we will go into the next game with our confidence really high.

“The players who turned up showed just why Ghana is such a good team because even without many regulars, it was a good performance.”

The Black Stars’ next World Cup Qualifier is against Sudan at home on 6 September.

Starting team: George Owu/William Amamoo, John Paintsil, Harrison Afful, Eric Addo, Francis Dickoh, Anthony Annan/David Telfer, Michael Essien/Gladson Awako, Samuel Inkoom, Haminu Draman/Stephen Appiah, Sulley Muntari/Chris Dickson, Junior Agogo/Kwame Quansah.

Subs: William Amamoo, Stephen Appiah, Gladson Awako, David Telfer, Chris Dickson, Kwame Quansah

Eric Bekoe hasn’t played in national colours for one whole year and Stephen Appiah, due to his clubless issues, has also not been around since last featuring for Ghana against Benin in Kumasi.

Samuel Inkoom has been named in the side but with the Black Satellites on duty in Switzerland ahead of the World Youth Championships in Egypt, it is unlikely he will make the journey to England too.

Appiah is also back after he opted out of Ghana’s last 2 games because he said he had ‘family issues.’ I’ve stated earleir that I think that decision was wrong, to be honest.

Goalkeepers: Richard Kingston (Wigan Athletic, England), George Owu (Al Masry, Egypt)

Strikers: Asamoah Gyan (Rennes, France), Mathew Amoah (NAC Breda, Holland), Prince Tagoe (Hoffeinham, Germany) and Eric Bekoe (Egypt)