Mohammed Kudus was voted the Most Valuable Player of the match as the Black Stars emerged triumphant over South Korea at the 2022 FIFA World Cup at the Education City Stadium in Al Rayyan in Qatar on Monday afternoon.

The Ajax Amsterdam star, 22, has become the first Ghanaian player to score a brace in a FIFA World Cup game as he netted the deciding strike for Otto Addo’s men.

Kudus wasn’t the only Black Star who glittered on the afternoon as goalkeeper Lawrence Ati Zigi and Jordan Ayew also proved to be world-beaters on the field of play.

Ghana Sports Online editor El Akyereko runs the rule over the performance of the Black Stars players on Monday afternoon against the Taegeuk Warriors.

• Lawrence Ati Zigi – 6.95/10

The St Gallen shot-stopper proved a lot of doubters wrong with 4 incredible saves from deadly situations. Though he picked the ball from the back of his net 2 times, he single-handedly stood between Ghana and defeat on a number of occasions including saving a highly technical free-kick taken by Heung-Min Son late in the second-half. He was also on hand to deny No.3 Jin-Su Kim twice. What a performance from the goalkeeper.

• Tariq Lamptey – 6.1/10

The pocket-size right-back gave a good account of himself though he was exposed a number of times defensively as the Koreans favoured using his side of the defensive compartment to attack Ghana. He was taken off on the 78th minute.

• Gideon Mensah – 6.89/10

Came in to take the place of Baba Rahman in the starting XI and he filled in very well at the left contributing a number of times to the Ghana attack and providing a strong shield, limiting Chang-Hoon Kwon and Freiburg offensive midfielder Woo-Yeong Jeong. He was chiefly involved in a number of Ghanaian attacks.

• Daniel Amartey – 6.75/10

Amartey was the only player on the field among the starters who scored a 100% passing accuracy. He passed the ball 38 times and on all occasions found his target men. He won 2 tackles and made 2 crucial interceptions. He was mostly seen organising the back and talking Salisu into position.

• Mohammed Salisu – 8.1/10

Two goals in 5 appearances for Ghana so far for the Southampton defender. He highlighted his quality and fox in the box attribute as he poked the ball home from a deflected cross from Jordan Ayew. He made the highest number of clearances (9) on the field.

• Thomas Partey – 7.2/10

The Arsenal man touched the ball more times than any Ghanaian player on the field (64) and completed 89.1 % of his 46 passes. He played the transistor role with Salis sitting deep in midfield he was allowed the freedom to start Ghana’s attacks from the middle. An improved performance. He also made 6 clearances, the second highest by a player on the field.

• Abdul-Samed Salis – 6.64/10

Not a very imposing game from the Lens man yet he completed 84.1% of his 44 attempted passes from midfield. Five clearances from his defensive midfield role. He helped to gag the spaces in middle very well.

• Mohammed Kudus – 8.9/10

Two-goal hero for Ghana as he netted the decisive match-winner on the 68th-minute mark. He took 2 shots and hit the target on both occasions. He was voted the Most Valuable Player of the match. A great performance from the 22-year-old who was watched by scouts from Liverpool.

• Andre Ayew – 6.25/10

He was involved in the mix for the opening goal of the game as the ball came off his body in an aerial duel before Salisu tucked it home for the opener. He was replaced by Daniel-Kofi Kyereh in the 78th minute.

• Jordan Ayew – 7.77/10

He provided two assists in three of Ghana’s goals and was a workaholic element all afternoon for the Black Stars.

• Inaki Williams – 6.34/10

He had a very quiet game on the afternoon but should have scored the goal which was converted by Kudus. He didn’t get a shot on target in the 90 minutes he lasted.

SUBSTITUTES

Kamaldeen Sulemana – 5.89/10

Daniel-Kofi Kyereh – 5.7/10

Denis Odoi – 5.9/10

Alexander Djiku – 5.8/10

Baba Rahman – 5/10

The post Player Ratings: South Korea 2-3 Ghana – Ati Zigi, Kudus, Jordan Ayew score high marks as Black Stars set fresh record at the World Cup appeared first on Ghana Sports Online.