The Portuguese goalkeeper had no idea he had a rival behind him, and disaster was on the way.
It had the potential to be the biggest mockery of the World Cups, but Inaki Williams slipped and was unable to complete the great mischief that would have given Ghana a draw against Portugal.
An action almost unheard of in professional football was about to end goalkeeper Diogo Costa’s career, as he was robbed of a ball right under his nose.
What happened in the final seconds of this Group H match?
The goalkeeper had control of the ball, dribbling it around his own area and giving instructions to his teammates; the problem was that he didn’t realise a silent and cunning Inaki Williams was lurking behind him.
Williams realised the Portuguese goalkeeper was unaware of his presence, so he remained silent a few metres behind him, and as soon as the goalkeeper dropped the ball to clear it, the player shot from the six-yard box to steal the ball.
And he succeeded! He appeared on the right, passed the goalkeeper, and the ball arrived; however, when he attempted to turn, he slipped, complicating matters.
Despite this, the Ghanaian was able to maintain control after rising to his feet and leaving the goalkeeper prone with a touch, but before he could fire, a defender appeared just in time to steal the ball and frustrate what could have been one of the most bearish ‘bears’. greats in World Cup history.
Was it Diogo’s lack of concentration or Williams’ vivacity that was more noticeable? The truth is that this childish play could have been the climax of the crazy game between Portugal and Ghana, which ended 3-2
Ghana captain Andre Ayew says the team will be able to sail through its difficult situation following ahead of their second group game against South Korea on Monday.
The Black Stars lost 3-2 to Portugal at the Stadium 974 in Doha on Thursday.
Portugal took an early lead through Cristiano Ronaldo from the penalty spot before Andre Ayew equalized for Ghana.
Joao Felix and Raphael Leao score both goals for Portugal to win the game before Osman Bukari grabbed a consolation for Ghana.
Speaking at the post-match conference, the Al Sadd captain is optimistic the team will return good in their game against South Korea on Monday November 28.
“We qualified for the world from a very difficult group and conditions. I know this team we always get out of very difficult conditions.
“I am convinced we would return good in the next game. We showed good character in the game against Portugal, and we can make things better in the next game,” Captain Ayew stated.
He admitted the team paid for its mistakes made in the first game.
“In football you would always pay for your mistakes, and that is what happened to us.
“We made some errors, and they punished us for that. The last two goals from Portugal were so quick we could not recover, but we have always survived difficult conditions and we would come back good,” he explained.
GHANAsoccernet.com brings you a comprehensive report on the Performance of Ghanaian Players Abroad. Our reporter Herbert Boakye Yiadom details how the players performed over the weekend at their respective clubs. Players to have scored
Mohammed Kudus scored his first goal of the season in Ajax 4-0 win against Cambuur
Braydon Manu scored in Darmstadt 98 1-1 draw against Arminia Bielefeld
Michel Baidooscored a brace for Elfsborg in their 3-2 win against Malmo FF
Andre Ayewscored his first goal of the season in Al Sadd’s 2-1 win against Al Sailiya
Bernard Tekpetey scored and set up another when Ludogorets Razgrad demolished FC Hebar 1918 in the Bulgarian Parva Liga.
ENGLAND
In Premier League, Jordan Ayew and Jeffrey Schlupp played 90 minutes for Crystal Palace against Newcastle United which ended in a draw
Mohammed Salisu was in action for Southampton in their 1-0 defeat to Wolves
Tariq Lamptey climbed off the bench to play in Brighton’s 5-2 win against Leicester City
Daniel Amartey came on as a substitute to play in the game
Thomas Partey missed Arsenal’s 3-1 defeat against Manchester United
In Championship, Antoine Semenyo climbed off the bench to help Bristol City beat Blackburn 3-2
Albert Adomah saw 21 minutes of action in QPR’s defeat to Swansea City
Baba Rahman and Andy Yiadom were in action for Reading in the 2-1 win against Stoke
Benjamin Tetteh lasted 13 minutes in the game as they lost 2-0 at home to Sheffield United
In League One, Jojo Wollacott was in post as Charlton Athletic lost 3-1 against Bolton
In League Two, Kwesi Appiah saw 67 minutes of action for Colchester in their 1-1 draw against Hartlepool
SPAIN
In La Liga, Joseph Aidoo played the full throttle for Celta Vigo in their 3-0 win against Cadiz CF
Iddrisu Baba missed Mallorca’s game against Girona due to injury
In Segunda division, Dauda Mohammed was in action for Tenerife in their 1-0 win against Racing Santander
ITALY
In Serie A, Alfred Duncan missed Fiorentina’s 1-1 draw against Juventus due to injury
Felix Afena-Gyan was an unused substitute in Cremonese game against Sassuolo
Edwin Gyasi lasted 87 minutes in the game for Spezia in their 2-2 draw against Bologna
In Serie B, Caleb Ekuban saw 74 minutes of action in Genoa’s 3-3 draw against Parma
FRANCE
In Ligue I, Gideon Mensah saw 90 minutes of action for Auxerre as they lost 2-0 against Marseille
Alexander Djiku was in action for Strasbourg in their 1-1 draw against Brest
Alidu Seidu was in action for Clermont in their 2-0 win against Toulouse
Abdul Samed Salis was in action for Lens as they drew 1-1 against Reims
Kamaldeen Sulemana saw 45 minutes of action for Rennes in their 1-1 draw against Troyes
In Ligue II, Nicholas Opoku was in action for Amiens in their 1-0 win against Grenoble
Koffi Kouao played 90 minutes for Metz against Annecy which ended in a draw
GERMANY
In Bundesliga, Christopher Antwi-Adjei made his first start of the season for Bochum against Werder Bremen which they lost 2-0
Daniel Kofi Kyereh missed Freiburg’s 3-2 win against Bayer Leverkusen on Saturday
Chelsea loanee Callum Hudson-Odoi made an assist on his debut for Bayer Leverkusen
In Bundesliga II, Opoku Ampomah was on the bench for Dusseldorf as they lost 2-1 against Heidenheim
Kwesi Okeyer Wriedt climbed off the bench to play in Holstein Kiel’s game against Regensburg which ended in a draw
Stephan Ambrosius was in action for Karlsruher as they lost to Hamburger SV 1-0
Braydon Manu was on the scoresheet for SV Darmstadt 98 in their 1-1 stalemate against DSC Arminia Bielefeld on Sunday in the German 2 Bundesliga.
Patrick Pfeiffer saw 90 minutes for Arminia Bielefeld
ALBANIA
Edwin Gyasi was in action for Kukesi as they lost 2-1 against Kastrioti
AUSTRIA
Seth Paintsil was in action for Hartberg against Sturm Graz which ended in a draw
Mohammed Fuseini climbed off the bench to feature for Sturm Graz
Forson Amankwah was in action for Altach as they lost 1-0 to Rapid Vienna
Augustine Boakye saw 34 minutes of action for Wolfsberger AC against A.Klagenfurt which they lost 4-3
AZERBAIJAN
Godsway Donyoh helped Neftci Baku to a 3-0 win against Sumqayit
BELGIUM
In Jupiler Pro League, Majeed Ashimeru saw 35 minutes of action for Anderlecht against Leuven in that 2-2 draw
Denis Odoi and Kamal Sowah helped Club Brugge to a 4-0 win against Cercle Brugge on Friday
Francis Abu saw 71 minutes of action for Cercle Brugge
Joseph Paintsil saw 88 minutes of action for Genk against St.Truiden which ended in a draw
Isaac Nuhu featured in the game for Eupen against Kortrijk which they lost by a lone goal.
Goalkeeper Abdul Manaf Nurudeen was on the bench for Eupen as Mubarak Wakaso missed the game due to injury
Daniel Opare saw 58 minutes of action for RFC Seraing in their 3-2 win against KV Mechelen
David Atanga was in action for Oostende as they lost 1-0 against St.Liege
BULGARIA
Emmanuel Toku saw 68 minutes of action for Botev Plovdiv in their 1-0 defeat to Lok.Plovdiv
Ghanaian attacker Bernard Tekpetey scored and set up another when Ludogorets Razgrad demolished FC Hebar 1918 in the Bulgarian Parva Liga.
CROATIA
Prince Obeng Ampem was in action for Rijeka as they lost 3-1 against D.Zagreb
Jacob Aboosah was an unused substitute in the game for Rijeka
CYRPUS
Ernest Asante came on as a substitute to feature in Doxa’s 1-0 defeat to Apollon
Benjamin Akoto Asamoah was on the bench for Doxa
DENMARK
In First Division. Ebenezer Ofori was in action for Vejle in their 2-1 defeat against Koge
ESTONIA
Razak Yusif helped Paide to a 2-1 win against Kalju
FINLAND
Najeed Yakubu was in action for ILVES against KuPS which ended in a draw
Kingsley Ofori helped SJK to a 2-0 win against VPS
Prosper Ahiabu played 90 minutes for VPS in that defeat
David Accam was in action for Inter Tuku in their 3-2 win against Mariehamn
Mohammed Abubakari and Baba Mensah came on as subsitutes to play for Mariehamn
GREECE
In Super League, Richmond Boakye Yiadom made his debut for Lamia against Asteras Tripolis which ended in a draw
ISRAEL
Ebenezer Mamatah was in action for Ashdod as they lost 3-0 against Hapoel Jerusalem
Eugene Ansah saw 22 minutes of action for H.Beer Sheva in their 2-1 defeat to Maccabi Haifa
LITHUANIA
Edward Sarpong saw 90 minutes of action for Dziugas Telsiai in their 1-1 draw against Zalgiris
Francis Kyeremeh played 90 minutes for Zalgiris
MALAYSIA
Alexander Agyakwa and Richmond Ankrah both featured in the game for Selangor in their 1-1 draw against Johor DT
MALTA
James Arthur was in action for Gudja in their 1-0 win against Balzan
MEXICO
Clifford Aboagye played 69 minutes for Querretaro in their 1-1 draw against Puebla
MOLDOVA
Patrick Kpozo was in action for Sherrif Tiraspol in their 2-0 win against Dacia Buiucani
Mudasiru Salifu and Razak Abalorah did not make the match day squad
NETHERLANDS
In Eredivise, Mohammed Kudus scored his first goal of the season in Ajax 4-0 win against Cambuur
PORTUGAL
Abdul Fatawu made a brief appearance for Sporting Lisbon in their 2-0 win against Estroil
SCOTLAND
Matthew Anim Cudjoe was on the bench for Dundee United against Motherwell which ended in a stalemate
SLOVAKIA
Samuel Gidi saw 79 minutes of action for Zilina in their 1-0 defeat to Podbrezova
Rahim Ibrahim was in action for Trencin in their 1-0 defeat to Z.Moravce-Vrable
SOUTH AFRICA
Richard Ofori and Kwame Peprah were both in action for Orlando Pirates in their 1-0 defeat against Maritzburg
SWEDEN
Ibrahim Sadiq lasted 25 minutes in the game for Hacken in their 2-2 draw against Degerfors
Michel Baidoo scored a brace for Elfsborg in their 3-2 win against Malmo FF
Emmanuel Boateng saw 90 minutes in the game whilst Emmanuel Lomotey was on the bench for Malmo
Mensiro made a brief appearance for Ostersend in their 2-2 draw against Vasteras SK
Ghanaian forward Sadat Karim, powered his Swedish club Halmstads BK to a 3-2 win against Skövde AIK on Sunday in the Superettan.
SWITZERLAND
Kasim Adams recorded another 90 minutes for Basel as they lost 2-1 against Sion
Lawrence Ati-Zigi was in post For St.Gallen in their 2-1 win against Young Boys
TURKEY
In Super Lig, Isaac Sackey saw 72 minutes of action for Umraniyespor as they lost 1-0 to Trabzonspor
Benjamin Mensah and Yaw Ackah were in action for Kayserispor as they lost 2-0 against Fenerbache
In Lig 1, Isaac Atanga made an appearance for Goztepe against Genxlerbirligi which ended in a draw
Godfred Donsah was in action for Yeni Malatyaspor as they lost 4-0 against Rizespor
USA
In MLS, Emmanuel Twumasi was in action fro FC Dallas in their 3-0 win against Minnesota United
Abu Danladi was on the bench for the loosing team
Jonathan Mensah and Yaw Yeboah both featured in the game for Columbus Crew against Chicago Fire which ended in a draw
Harrison Afful played 85 minutes for Charlotte FC in their 2-0 defeat to FC Cincinnati
Since Aritz Aduriz decided to hang up his boots, Inaki WIllaims has become Athletic Bilbao’s main offensive reference , unsuccessfully trying to follow in the footsteps left by the legend of the Rojiblanco team, mainly due to the poor goalscoring efficiency that the Spanish footballer has had practically since its inception, something that has been confirmed year after year, being the main offensive weapon of the rojiblanco team.
This did not worry Athletic Bilbao at the time, who decided to renew the Spanish attacker’s contract until June 30, 2028 after Borussia Dortmund offered a good amount of money to get his services, in a show of total confidence by the San Mamés team, who are still unable to see the best goalscoring version of a player who for a long time has continued to give more than enough reasons to be considered an overrated striker.
The goal is not his forte
In the 341 games that Iñaki Williams has played with the Athletic Bilbao first team , he has only managed to see the door on 75 occasions, that is, an approximate average of one goal every five games, something totally unacceptable for a team like the rojiblanco , which shows a worrying lack of goals in recent years, and it does not seem that it will be able to be solved in the short term at least given the irregular performance of the Ghanaian attacker and the difficulty of finding a new striker taking into account the strict philosophy of the Basque club in the transfer market.
I won’t rule out Asamoah Gyan’s call-up to the Black Stars team if he is able to play 15 matches before the World Cup, according Saanie Daara.
The former Spokesperson of the Ghana Football Association was of the view the player can prove himself with such preparations as he has been out on the field for a while.
Ghana’s former Captain, Asamoah Gyan has created divisive views following his intention to be part of the team to represent the country in the Qatar World Cup.
His intention has created divisions as some Ghanaians are of the view the player has lost form and does not deserve any opportunity in the current Black Stars squad.
Others were also of the view the player has proven himself and with the experience accrued, his presence in the team will go a long way to have influence on the new young players and also boost the morale of players and the team at large.
But Saanie Daara insist been able to play about 15 matches prior to the World event would be the yardstick for his possible inclusion or otherwise.
Asante Kotoko SC have reached an agreement with midfielder Umar Bashiru over a possible re-signing ahead of the upcoming football campaign, GHANAsoccernet.com understands
Bashiru has been a mainstay in the Ghana Premier League since switching to Karela United in April 2020 after leaving Kotoko in July 2019.
The 25-year-old central midfielder has been consistently outstanding having played 64 games and scored 17 goals across two seasons.
Bashiru had an impressive campaign in the last season where he netted 13 goals in 33 appearances with five man of the match awards in the process.
Kotoko are looking to strengthen their squad depth for the upcoming season with more quality players including Bashiru who previously had stints with the Porcupine Warriors.
The lanky player signed for Kotoko in October 2018 from WAFA SC but had to part ways with the club just a year.
Bashiru is currently part of the Ghana squad that are seeking to qualify for next year’s CHAN tournament in Algeria.
He provided two assists in the first and second leg matches against Benin in the Preliminary Round with the Black Galaxies advancing on a 4-0 aggregate scoreline.
Ghana midfielder Joseph Attamah Lawreh has undergone a successful surgery on his knee.
The 28-year-old missed Kayserispor’s game against Besiktas which they lost by a lone goal in the Turkish Super League.
The Ghana international had been carrying the injury throughout preseason and needed surgery.
Kayserispor booked a private hospital for the versatile midfielder to undergo the surgery on Wednesday.
Joseph Attamah has been ruled out for up to four-five weeks after the surgery.
The club confirmed in a statement: “Our professional football player Joseph Attamah was hospitalized at Acıbadem Fulya Hospital due to his left knee Patellar Tendon injury. Dr. Necessary intervention was made by Tunay Erden.
“We convey our best wishes to our football player and hope that he will return to us as soon as possible”.
Joseph Attamah was a key player for Kayserispor last season as he made 30 appearances scoring two goals.
He was invited for Ghana’s trip to Japan for the four-nation tournament but missed out of the squad due to injury.
Winger Isaac Nuhu was the brightest spot in KAS Eupen’s defeat to KRC Genk in the Belgium Pro League on Saturday.
The 20-year-old excelled as the second forward with his contributions leading to two goals scored by KAS Eupen in the 4-2 loss at the Cegeka Arena.
Nuhu started the build up to Smail Prevljak’s goal in the first half before opening up from the right to start what ended with Regan Charles-Cook netting Eupen’s second.
He was later replaced in the game by Tarek Magee.
Meanwhile, compatriot and KRC Genk attacker Joseph Painstil scored a brace for the host to ensure they secured all three points.
Isaac Nuhu has been a key cog in the Eupen team, and was the star man when they shocked Champions Club Brugge last week.
The winger is on the radar of the Blue and Blacks as well as clubs in France and Germany.
