ACCRA, June 2 (Xinhua) -- Ghana men's national football team Black Stars beat the Barea of Madagascar 3-0 in the opening match of the 2023 African Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifications at the Cape Coast sports stadium late Wednesday.
The Black Stars, one of five African countries already qualified for the Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup, started the match with the clear intention of picking all three points.
The first half of the match was one-way traffic as the home team mounted intense pressure on the visitors.
Despite dominating play, the Black Stars failed to convert the numerous scoring opportunities that came their way hence ending the first half of the match in a goalless draw.
Back from the break, Ghana maintained the momentum and their efforts were rewarded when Ajax star Kudus Mohammed broke the deadlock and scored the first goal for his side in the 54th minute.
The Black Stars kept pushing and Felix Afena Gyan, who recently won the European Cup with AS Roma, scored the second goal for Ghana two minutes later. Osman Bukari scored the third in the 87th to give Ghana a comfortable 3-0 win.
With the win, Ghana tops Group E of the 2023 AFCON qualifiers with three points and three goals ahead of Angola, the Central African Republic, and Madagascar.
Ghana will play the Central African Republic in the second match of the qualifiers away on Sunday. ■
