Nicolas Horni

On a bicycle way too small for him, Samuel Dwamena (20) rides across the sandy field in front of the Adjringrandor Astroturf in Accra. As he does so, he grins, greets warmly, but also a little shy.

Samuel wears a pair of slippers, jeans, a cap, and a shirt from the German side FC Bayern Munich, one of his two favorite clubs. He also has a passion for Chelsea. He would have loved to see his brother play for the "Blues" someday.

But that won't happen. His brother collapsed in mid-November during a football match in Albania, and passed away shortly after in the ambulance. The brother was Raphael Dwamena (†28). Former La Liga striker, eight-time Ghanaian international player, once a celebrated star – with a tragic course of life and career.

Since Raphael's death, the world hasn't been the same for Samuel. "I saw my brother die through my phone screen," he says, sitting on the stands next to the pitch where Raphael Dwamena's funeral took place a month ago.

Samuel speaks of his brother, but that's only half true: Samuel and Raphael share the same mother but not the same father. This difference doesn't matter to the 20-year-old; his grief remains the same. "You can't imagine what it feels like, and you don't want to," he says. His voice becomes quieter, it breaks. A tear rolls down his cheek, he buries his face in his hands, he needs a break.

Samuel Dwamena is still deeply saddened four months after the death of his brother. (Captured by Nicolas Horni)

Samuel Dwamena, the brother of the late Black Stars striker Raphael Dwamena. (Captured by Nicolas Horni)

<h2>The dream of carrying on Raphael's legacy</h2>

Today, he's doing okay – considering the circumstances, he says. Death was just God's plan, he and his family have to accept that now, says Samuel, who, like his brother, has a strong faith.

He hopes that God has a plan for him too. He hopes for a career in Europe. "It was my big dream to play on the field with Raphael one day and give him an assist," he admits with a smile.

Although he's already 20, older than many other football talents in the country, he wants to make it to Europe. "I've even considered changing my age. Many do that." That this could not only be illegal but also morally reprehensible is less of a matter: "Look. I believe in God, and God says you should always be honest. But sometimes in life, you just have to grab your chance."

Samuel Dwamena, the brother of the late Black Stars striker Raphael Dwamena, dreams of carrying on his brother's legacy. (Captured by Nicolas Horni)

According to Samuel, Raphael himself never thought much of the idea of changing the age. He preferred to motivate his younger brother to perform better on the field, even paying a personal trainer to coach him. Currently, Samuel is without a club, keeping himself fit in private. "Raphael wanted to bring me to a third-division team here. But that didn't work out." Now, Samuel hopes that maybe one of Raphael's old clubs will reach out to him.

Due to family circumstances, the Dwamena brothers only got to know each other late in life. "We met once or twice before he went to Europe.“ Only after he left, their relationship became closer: "Whenever he was in Ghana, he called me. We often spent time together, went out to eat, or just talked," says the young man. He seems a bit more composed by now.

The coffin of the late Raphael Dwamena (Captured by Nicolas Horni)

Raphael Dwamena cared about his family in West Africa, sending money monthly for clothes, food, and other necessities.

Samuel Dwamena is sad that his family and the widow are no longer in contact. (Captured by Nicolas Horni)

"Raphael even wanted to build us a small house here. He was going to start the plans in December." Samuel doesn't know what happened to Raphael's money that was earned during his career.

It probably remains with his widow, who, although she also lives in Ghana, he says she doesn't call the family anymore. "It doesn't make me angry, just sad. I'm a Christian, I don't feel any hate. God will judge one day. She knows what she did."

Samuel and Raphael Dwamena have the same mother, but not the same father

In mid-November, former Black Stars striker Raphael Dwamena collapsed during a game in Albania and died a short time later. His little brother now opens up about Dwamena's death, why he is disappointed in his brother's widow and about his dream of carrying on his brothers legacy.

Dwamena's brother on the death of former Black Stars striker: 'I saw my brother die through my phone screen'

In the first group game, it was Musibau Aziz who provided the most dangerous moment of the match with his crossbar goal. On Tuesday evening, it was again Aziz who created the most dangerous moment early on and put Ghana on the road to victory. He capitalized on a goalkeeping error and scored Ghana's first goal of the tournament. After that, the game fell asleep a little; Gambia tried to make several offensive pinpricks, but Ghana dominated the game. The Black Satellites were the more active team with more possession and more attacking action.

The start of the second half was about to get sleepy too – but Abdul Aziz Issah didn't like that! The Dreams FC starboy picks up a rebound from the goalkeeper, breaks his ankle with a slick move, and fires the ball into the net. Ghana then dominated the game and dictated the pace, repeatedly making dangerous forays into the final third, while Zambia barely managed any attacking moves apart from one dangerous exception. In the 73rd minute, Ghana had the chance to put the finishing touches to the game, but Musibau Aziz shot the awarded penalty so badly that the goalkeeper had no trouble keeping it out.

And that gave Zambia renewed courage; they reduced the deficit to 2:1, had further chances but deservedly missed the equalizer. Shortly before the end, it was Afriyie who sealed the deal with a superb goal to probably send Ghana through to the semi-finals.

The Gambian goalkeeper saves Musibau Aziz's penalty.

14th minute; Musibau Aziz; 1:0 – The ball, which Emmanuel Mensah tries to play across the field towards the right wing, actually goes far too wide, and the goalkeeper is there to intercept the ball. But suddenly the ball slips out of his fingers, Aziz speculates, is in the right place, and slots the ball in.

49th minute; Abdul Aziz Issah; 2:0 – Abdul Sulemana runs onto a pass into the deep but fails to beat the onrushing goalkeeper. The ball bounces to Aziz Issah, who coolly dribbles past the goalkeeper, who has jumped up again, and then shoots the ball into the bottom right-hand corner. Well done!

83rd minute; Mansour Mbye; 2:1 – Zambia takes advantage of the coordination problems in Ghana's defense, grabs the ball, and sends it into the bottom right corner, leaving the goalkeeper no chance to react.

90th minute; Jerry Afriyie; 3:1 – Afriyie grabs the ball after a mistake by the Gambian full-back, dribbles around the defenders like slalom poles, and shoots the ball into the top right-hand corner. Well done!

The Black Stars Supporters have a lot to celebrate on Tuesday evening: The Black Satellites win 3:1

Abdul Aziz Issah. Not only does he often look for the direct route to goal in his attacking play, but he also looks for his teammates to make them shine. A strong game from the lively little attacking midfielder, which he crowns with his super-cool goal. He was substituted in the 80th minute to great applause. One to keep an eye on for the future!

Youkasseh Sanyang. Awkward how he behaved before the 1:0 and simply let go of this simple ball. Made one strong save before the 2-0 and saved the penalty, but with this action at the start of the game, he not only ruined his team's game plan but also opened the door to victory for the Ghanaians.

A glance at the team sheet, which is distributed to the media before the game, triggers a few puzzled looks. Abdul Sulemana, a player who was not only not even in the squad for the first game but is also listed as a player from the French side Olympique Lyon, is in the starting eleven. Nobody knows exactly who this player is. It doesn't matter to Sulemana; he impresses with his lively, agile style and is at the origin of the 1:0 and also the 2:0. Gets off after 60 minutes and a strong performance – even if nobody knows exactly who he is (yet).

On Friday evening at 5 p.m., Ghana faces the Black Satellites at the University of Ghana Sports Stadium. Congo will host Gambia in a big showdown at the Accra Sports Stadium at the same time. Depending on the outcome of the latter match, Ghana could even qualify for the semi-finals with a loss, but with a draw, they're through for sure.

Starboy Abdul Aziz Issah celebrates his goal to make it 2:0.

African Games in Accra: Ghana's U20 team has one foot in the semi-finals of the tournament after a convincing win against Gambia.

One foot in the semi-final: Black Satellites celebrate the Aziz-party against Gambia

Few good scoring chances, lots of minor fouls, a treatment break for a player every two minutes (at least that's how it felt). The first half between Benin and Congo had little to offer in terms of tension. Congo was the better side in the game, but they also failed to create any really big scoring chances.

The second half also had very little to offer for a long time, if not even less than the poor first half. Congo even stopped their advances in offense. After about 30 minutes in the second half, Benin sniffed their chance and managed to get in front of goal several times, but it never became really dangerous – until the 93rd minute. Benin missed out on a victory with a poor shot alone in front of the goalkeeper. In the end, however, the game ended in a justified 0-0 draw, which neither of the teams really helped.

Phew. It's difficult to pick the best player in this lousy game. Congo's number 10, Gedeon Nongo, showed some good stuff at the beginning of the game, often getting involved offensively and pulling the strings in midfield. After half-time, however, there wasn't much to see from him either.

Thierry Bakula Angandeh. It could have been any attacking player on the pitch, but anyone who is on the pitch for almost 75 minutes as a center-forward for the favored team and only gets in your notebook when he is substituted has done something wrong.

The referee gives four minutes of stoppage time in the first half. And still far too little. Only Benin's goalkeeper was treated for almost four minutes. However, the referee did not take into account the 10 or so further treatment breaks. Not a bad decision, as hardly anyone would have wanted to watch this game any longer.

On Friday evening at 5 p.m., Benin faces the Black Satellites at the University of Ghana Sports Stadium and is in desperate need of a win. Congo will host Gambia in a big showdown at the Accra Sports Stadium at the same time.

Congo vs Benin on 12 March at Acra Sports STadium

Second game of Group A at the Africa Games: The Black Satellites' rivals Congo and Benin draw 0-0 again.

Snooze-fest Showdown at the African Games: Congo and Benin ends 0-0

<h2>Lawrence Ati-Zigi</h2>

The Black Stars goalie is living a hard life at the moment. He was the best goalkeeper in the league last season and his team was an unbeatable force at home. This season, especially in the second half of it, things are going really badly. In the eight games since Zigi's return from the AFCON, FC St. Gallen have picked up just four points and conceded 15 goals. Zigi also conceded another three last weekend against FC Lugano. He made a few good saves, but was a little unlucky when he conceded the second one. The goal was ultimately not his fault, but maybe a more energetic intervention could have prevented it.

Lawrence Ati-Zigi and his club are having a difficult time at the moment.

Lawrence Ati-Zigi gets his first clean sheet since returning from AFCON.

The 1.65 metre tall striker was a regular under coach Bo Henriksen. Since his departure to the Bundesliga in mid-February, however, Afriyie has lost this regular place. In the four games since the change of coach, he has only played 57 minutes. In FC Zurich's defeat against Yverdon last weekend, he was on the pitch for just one minute, during which time he did not make any notable appearances.

Daniel Afriyie has probably lost his regular place at FC Zurich.

In recent weeks, the centre-back has been acclimatised to the first team FC Basel first team with appearances in the second team.

Last week, he made his second appearance for the "red and blue" this season - although under very unfortunate circumstances. When he was substituted for an injured team-mate, the score was already 3:0 in favour of BSC Young Boys. He struggled at the start, stumbling over a few balls and making a few bad passes. However, he is ultimately not to blame for the two further goals and the embarrassing 5:1 defeat.

Jonas Adjetey in his second game of the season for fC Basel against BSC Young Boys

The centre midfielder was loaned to the second-highest Swiss league last August from FC Ashdod in Israel. He has been a regular at FC Aarau since the beginning and has impressed with his performances.

In his team's poor performance against FC Schaffhausen last weekend (1:1), he once again played a strong game, even making a wonderful assist for the equaliser. The only two blemishes: at the start of the game he lost the ball badly. Later in the game, he found himself alone in front of the opposing goalkeeper, but missed the lead for his team with a poor shot on goal.

Isaac Pappoe is currently on loan from Israel to the Swiss second division. He is impressing there.

The 1.92m tall center-back moved to Israel from Pudu Mighty Jet in 2019. He played for a total of three different clubs before becoming unemployed last August.

Since mid-February, Acquah is under contract with FC Aarau in the second-highest Swiss league. He was not in the squad for the first two games since his arrival.

Since then, he has always been in the squad, but is still waiting for his first appearance. This was also the case last weekend in his club's match against FC Schaffhausen.

David Acquah wants to relaunch his career at FC Aarau.

<h2>Emmanuel Essiam</h2>

The center midfielder moved from Berekum Chelsea to FC Basel in January 2022. The 20-year-old, who is regarded as a great talent, has not yet been able to establish himself there and was loaned to Stade Lausanne-Ouchy, another Super League club, in September 2023. He played nine games for the newly promoted club before suffering a serious shoulder injury.

Essiam is currently undergoing recovery work following surgery. While he was said to be out for the rest of the season, it now starts to look good that Essiam will return this season. FC Basel did not remove him from the contingent list after the end of the transfer period. His return should therefore be expected in the coming weeks.

Emmanuel Essiam is expected back on the pitch this season.

In August 2018, Nuhu made the leap from the West African Football Academy to Europe. At FC St. Gallen, where he is teammates with Ati-Zigi, he did not yet make his breakthrough.

In July 2022, he was loaned to Norwegian club KuPS for six months. His time in eastern Switzerland was also marked by numerous injuries, and in his five years at FC St. Gallen, he made just 39 appearances for the first team. So far this season, he has only made two appearances for the U21 team.

FC St. Gallen were said to be open to selling Nuhu to another club in this winter transfer period, but they didn’t find a buyer. Last weekend, he was neither in the first team squad nor in the second team.

It is very unlikeable whether Musah Nuhu will play for the FC St. Gallen first team again.

The 23-year-old left Dreams FC for Israel in 2019 as an uprising star. Just one year after his arrival in the Middle East, he then moved to FC Lucerne in Switzerland's top division. He was never able to establish himself there and was loaned back to Israel for six months in 2022.

Last July, the attacking midfielder was loaned out to FC Baden in the second-highest Swiss league, but unfortunately injured his ACL after just four minutes. Since then he has been out with a torn cruciate ligament and is working on his return.

Samuel Alabi is currently recovering from a cruciate ligament rupture that he suffered at the start of the season.

Daniel Afriyie and Jonas Adjetey have had a hard weekend with their clubs

How are the Ghanaians performin in Switzerlands highest league: Daniel Afriyie lost his starting place, Jonas Adjetey's comeback goes down the drain, Lawrence Ati-Zigi concedes another three goals.

Switzerland check: Afriyie is no longer a starter, while Adjetey's comeback goes down the drain

Despite Nigeria's embarrassing defeat in their first group game against Ghana, the bookmakers are quite sure: Nigeria should beat South Sudan without any problems. But South Sudan are obviously up against it. The Bright Stars play cheekily from the start, create chances, and impress. At some point, Nigeria also started to play along, took control, and started to miss one top-scoring chance after another. But South Sudan were also still in the game, making several offensive pinpricks and then had to take it upon themselves not to take the lead before the break. They failed to capitalize on a bad mistake by Nigeria goalkeeper Nathaniel Ikechukwu Nwosu.

The second half at the Accra Sports Stadium had much less to offer than the first one. Things got heated in the 64th minute when the entire South Sudanese team demanded a penalty. Referee Abdoulaye Manet, however, did not listen and let the game continue – probably a wrong decision. However, it wasn't corrected because there is no VAR. Towards the end of the game, things got really heated again in the penalty area – but this time on the other side. The referee suddenly saw a foul and awarded a penalty. Nigeria did not need to be asked twice and scored to take the lead. South Sudan then tried to equalize, but ultimately lacked the strength to do anything really dangerous again and therefore probably already have to bid farewell to their semi-final hopes.

The goal 81st minute; Sadiq Muhammad Isiyaka A Nigerian falls in the South Sudan penalty area without making much contact, the referee still points to the spot to the surprise of everyone and to the displeasure of many South Sudanese. Nigeria's number 7 accepts the gift and confidently converts the penalty into the top right-hand corner of the goal.

Sadiq Muhammad Isiyaka is ready to tap the ball in to give Nigeria the lead versus South Sudan.

Mario Tana Cherubino Albano. He gets off to a cheeky start early on, his courageous and superb shot from the side is deflected just over the goal by the Nigerian goalkeeper. Quite an exciting performance from the young midfielder. Controls the center of the pitch, gets involved in the attack time and again, and gets a total of 5 shots on target, 3 of which are on target. Calls it a day after 74 minutes.

This questionable award is disputed by two players. On the one hand, South Sudan's left-back, Attika Abiaza, is completely unable to cope with his opponents, allowing the Nigerian strikers to simply pass him by on several occasions. In the 60th minute, he commits a brutal foul but injures himself in the process and has to be taken off with the stretcher. Whilst getting carried away, he is shown a yellow card.

Nigeria's center-forward Sunday Joseph misses one chance after another. He can be lucky that the expected goals value is not calculated in a game like this, as it would be embarrassingly high. Was taken off after 52 minutes to everyone's relief.

<h2>Something to talk about I</h2>

A hand-counted 26 spectators can be found on the back straight and behind the goals. There were a few hundred more in the main stand. However, this leaves open the question of whether the African Games will be a flop from the spectator side. Organizers might want to take a good look at themselves: The cheapest tickets (behind the goals) can be bought for 50 cedis, which is up to 5 times more than a normal game in the Ghana Premier League.

Guinean referee Abdoulaye Manet had a long leash on this Monday evening, allowing plenty of room to the players, showing cards only when it was really necessary and doing a good job for a long time. And yet he is likely to be criticized a lot. In the 64th minute, he let a strong hold by Nigeria's defender go unpunished, only to decide on a penalty less than a quarter of an hour later after a very light tug. Is booed by the fans after the final whistle.

Things get really heated again on Friday, March 15th. Senegal and Nigeria will battle it out for the knockout stage at the Accra Sports Stadium at 8 pm, while South Sudan will face group leaders Uganda at the University of Ghana Sports Stadium.

The Super Eagles celebrate their opening goal against South Sudan in the Accra Sports Stadium.

Despite poor chance utilisation and with the kind help of the referee: Nigeria wins the second group match of the African Games against South Sudan 1:0

With the kind help of the referee: Nigeria pulls off a narrow win against South Sudan

Coach Desmond Ofei's team didn't start the match well, missing opportunities and failing to create noteworthy moments. However, after halftime, they came out stronger, launching numerous attacks and creating some good chances. One of the highlights was a shot by 17-year-old Musibau Aziz that hit the crossbar in the 80th minute, but unfortunately didn't go in.

Black Stars supporters at the Accra Sports Stadium during the Ghana vs Congo match. Captured by Nicolas Horni.

The Ghanaians were frustrated not only by their missed chances but also by a decision from the linesman. A Ghanaian goal was disallowed for offside, but TV replays later showed that the player was clearly onside. Unfortunately, there is no VAR at the 13th African Games, so the decision couldn't be overturned.

https://x.com/FootballViewYT/status/1766143770645369054?s=20

However, there was good news later on Friday evening for the Black Satellites. Their rivals in Group A, Gambia and Benin, also ended in a draw, 0-0, in their match at the Accra Sports Stadium.

In contrast to the earlier game, the first half between the Gambia and Benin was more exciting. Both teams had chances, with Benin making continuous dangerous attacks, mostly down the left side. But it was Gambia who came closest to scoring, with a great free kick saved by Benin's goalkeeper.

On Friday evening, Gambia and Benin met at the Accra Sports Stadium. A picture by Nicolas Horni showing Benin in attack.

The second half was less eventful, as the Gambia retreated from their attacking endeavors, managing only two notable offensive moves. Benin maintained pressure, dominated possession, and created more threatening opportunities, but ultimately couldn't find the breakthrough to secure the win, leaving Group A wide open.

The opening matches of the African Games in Accra promise an exciting battle for the two knockout stage spots. In the next group fixture, Ghana will face Gambia, while Benin will play against Congo. However, it's clear that progression won't be easy for the Black Satellites, similar to 2019 when they were eliminated in the group stage of the African Games.

A picture of the Accra Sports Stadium during the Ghana vs Congo match. Captured by Nicolas Horni.

Ghana's Under-20 team, the Black Satellites, faced their first setback on Friday afternoon in their pursuit of a gold medal. Despite having more chances, they ended up with a 0-0 draw against Congo in their Group A match. Meanwhile Sambia vs. Benin also ended 0-0.

African Games: Ghana's goalless draw goes unpunished as the Gambia and Benin share points

But how have they played in the last week? Have they played at all? A weekly look at our (Black) Stars in Europe.

Mohammed Kudus (West Ham United): In the 4:2 victory, the star boy managed to get 6 shots on goal and one assist. Overall, Kudus played a good game, but was criticised by English football legend Gary Neville. <a href="https://www.pulse.com.gh/sports/football/gary-neville-advises-kudus-to-be-more-mature-says-he-takes-shots-instead-of-passing/nhvyht6">Read more here.</a>

Tariq Lamptey (Brighton &amp; Hove Albion): The full-back put in a solid performance in his side's draw against Everton. Although he was substituted after 61 minutes, he completed 23 of his 27 passes to a team-mate and won all of his one-on-ones.

Antoine Semenyo (AFC Bournemouth): The winger put in a good performance against Manchester City at the weekend, but he was unable to do anything about the 1-0 defeat to City. Semenyo came on as a first-half substitute in Tuesday's extra-time defeat in the FA Cup against Leicester City. He missed a few chances and did not play quite as well as he did against City at the weekend.

Jordan Ayew (Crystal Palace): Last week he scored his first goal for Crystal Palace since December. This weekend he put in an even better performance. He scored a goal and provided an assist in his side's 3-0 win over Burnley and is likely to have secured his place in new coach Oliver Glaser's starting XI.

Jeffrey Schlupp (Crystal Palace): 2024 is not yet going quite the way the 31-year-old would like. Schlupp has failed to impress in his appearances so far this year. However, the German born was not in the squad in the last weeks. It is not clear why, as he has not played a role at Crystal Palace since the change of manager. Is he injured? We don't know.

Jordan Amissah (Sheffield United FC): The German-born goalkeeper alternates between the bench and the stands at the bottom of the Premier League. He played a single game for Sheffield United in August 2022, was loaned out to League One side Burton Albion in the meantime and is now back in the Steel City. Didn't make the squad against Wolverhampton.

Thomas Partey (Arsenal): The midfielder played his last game on 8 October. Since then he has been working on his recovery from a hamstring injury, but has also suffered a setback in the meantime. Arsenal coach Mikel Arteta announced last week that Partey should be ready for action again in around two weeks.

Jordan Ayew had a lot to celebrate this weekend.

Iñaki Williams (Athletic Bilbao): Last week, Inaki put in a great performance, even scoring a goal. However, the striker did not start the clash with Betis Sevilla this weekend. He was then substituted at half-time, but failed to really impress.

Iddrisu Baba (UD Almeria): The midfielder is currently on loan to Almeria from RCD Mallorca and is a regular starter in Andalusia. Baba played 90 minutes in his team's 1-1 draw with Atlético Madrid. His performance was okay, but not really more than that.

Joseph Aidoo (Celta Vigo): The centre-back moved to Spain from Belgian side Genk in 2019. He injured his Achilles tendon in October and subsequently underwent surgery. He is unlikely to feature again this season.

Abdul Mumin (Rayo Vallecano): It's not quite clear what exactly the centre-back's role is playing at his club. Sometimes he plays from the start and then the whole game, but often he doesn't feature at all. Mumin did not play in his team's 3-0 loss against Girona.

Last week Iñaki had a lot to celebrate, this week however he had to take a seat on the bench.

Daniel Kofi-Kyereh (SC Freiburg): The 27-year-old was born in Accra and spent his youth in Germany. He made his breakthrough at FC St. Pauli before moving to SC Freiburg. In February 2023, he tore his cruciate ligament in training and has been out injured ever since. The attacking midfielder is currently rebuilding, but it is unclear whether he will be able to play again this season.

Patric Pfeiffer (FC Augsburg): The centre-back moved from promoted SV Darmstadt 98 to FC Augsburg last July. However, things are not going as planned for him there. He has only made six appearances so far, the last one on 20 December. He was not in the squad for the game against SC Freiburg. His agent has already announced that he wants to leave the club at the end of the season

Christopher Antwi-Adjei (VFL Bochum): The German-born left-sided midfielder hasn't managed to secure a regular place at VFL Bochum, but has still featured in 20 Bundesliga matches so far – starting in 9 of them. He has scored one goal and provided 2 assists. He was not in the squad for his team's 5:2 defeat against Mönchengladbach last weekend.

Braydon Manu (SV Darmstadt): The 26-year-old agile and quick winger would probably be a regular for the promoted team. It's just a shame that Manu hasn't been able to get back on the pitch since the second game of the season. He was initially out for several weeks due to tonsillitis and has been absent since then due to an ankle injury.

Kasim Adams Nuhu (FC Hoffenheim): The fourteen-time Ghana international returned from a loan spell at Swiss side FC Basel in July 2023. Since then, however, he has played no part at the Bundesliga side, not even making the squad in 18 of 22 matches. He was back in the team for the last five games, but did not feature. He watched his team's 3:2 victory against Borussia Dortmund from the bench.

Patric Pfeiffer moved from Darmstadt to Augsburg, but hardly plays there. It's quite possible that he'll leave the club in summer.

Andrew Ayew (Le Havre AC): His arrival in France after the poor AFCON campaign was impressive: a brace in the league game against Lorient, followed by a goal in the Coupe de France game against Racing Strasbourg. Last weekend against Lille, Ayew was on the pitch for the whole 90 minutes and put in a solid but not too spectacular performance. He managed to get three shots on goal but couldn’t do anything to change his team's 2-1 defeat against Stade Reims.

Ernest Nuamah (Olympique Lyon): In complete contrast to the AFCON, Nuamah plays regularly at the club. He has scored 1 goal in 18 league appearances so far this season. In the defeat against Metz on Friday, he delivered an unremarkable performance. On Tuesday in the Coupe de France against Strasbourg, he put in a solid performance. His team ultimately won on penalties, but Nuamah was no longer on the pitch. He was substituted in the 77th minute after a total of one shot on goal.

Salis Abdul Samed (RC Lens): Last Thursday, he was on the pitch for 103 minutes in the Europa League clash against SC Freiburg. The midfielder put in a mediocre performance and had to actively watch as he and his team gave away a 2-0 lead. He then sat on the bench for 90 minutes in the defeat against Monaco at the weekend.

Mohammed Salisu (AS Monaco): His start following his move from Southampton to the south of France could hardly have been worse. He missed every game until the beginning of December due to an adductor injury, but has been a regular since his return. He put in a very strong performance against Lens at the weekend and even provided an assist for the opening goal in the 19th minute.

Alida Seidu (Stade Rennes): He was brought on in the 57th minute of his team's 3-2 win over Milan last Thursday, but was ultimately unable to prevent the team's elimination of the knock-out stage of the Europa League. In his team's draw against PSG at the weekend, the full-back was back on the pitch for the entire match and put in a solid to good performance.

Benjamin Tetteh (FC Metz): The 26-year-old does not regularly start matches for the team in the northeastern city of France, often appearing as a substitute instead. After suffering an ankle injury in training, he is now out of action. A return date of early March has been announced.

Nathaniel Adjoin (FC Lorient): The 21-year-old has been playing on loan at Lorient since the end of January (is otherwise under contract with Hammarby in Sweden). Since his arrival, he has played five games, four from the start. The centre-back played in his side's 0-1 loss against Nantes, putting in a unremarkable performance.

Mohammed Salisu put in an extremely strong performance at the weekend.

Alfred Duncan (AC Florence): A week earlier against Empoli, Duncan put in a strong performance. However, this was not enough for him to be in the starting line-up against Lazio Roma. Even worse: Duncan had to watch his team's 2:1 victory from the bench for 90 minutes.

Ibrahim Sulemana (Cagliari Calcio): Moved to Cagliari from Hellas Verona last summer. Since then, the defensive midfielder has played 13 games. After missing two games due to an ankle injury, he was back in the squad against Udinese Calcio but did not feature. Unfortunately, it seems the injury curse has struck again. Sulemana was ruled out again against Napoli with an ankle injury. Return date unknown.

Emmanuel Gyasi (Empoli FC): The right-sided midfielder is a regular in the 16th-placed team. He has managed 1 goal and 1 assist so far this Serie A season. He had to sit out the game against Sassuolo due to a yellow card suspension.

Caleb Ekuban (Genoa CFC): The centre-forward has scored two goals and provided one assist in 19 league games. Ekuban played 11 minutes in his team's 2-0 win over Udinese at the weekend, but unfortunately did not make any notable impact.

Ibrahim Sulemana has suffered another injury and will be out for longer.

Mohammed Kudus, Iñaki Williams and Jordan Ayew

Here's how the Ghanaians performed in Europe's top five leagues this weekend: Kudus provides an assist, Ayew impresses Oliver Glasner with goal and assist, Iñaki suprisingly got benched.

Ghanaian players in Europe's top 5 leagues: Ayew impresses, Kudus criticised, Inaki benched

This season has not been Lawrence Ati-Zigi's best – at least compared to last year when he won the award for the best goalkeeper in the Swiss Football League. Shortly before the AFCON, he had to give up his position in goal for the Black Stars to Richard Ofori, and his statistics in the Swiss league are currently not quite as good as they were last season.

Since returning from the Africa Cup, Ati-Zigi has not been doing particularly well either. His team picked up just one point from five games since Ati-Zigi's return. This negative streak came to an end last weekend when they finally won against Stade Lausanne-Ouchy thanks to a goal in the 95th minute.

Ati-Zigi himself was out of action for a long time against the league's bottom club, but made one sensational save and also had a good game with a few other clearances. Overall, a strong performance that gives hope that Ati-Zigi and his team will find their way back to their best.

The 1.65m tall striker moved from Hearts of Oak to FC Zurich in January last year. In 27 games for the club, Afriyie has managed just two goals and three assists. Both goals were scored last August. Afriyie has been repeatedly criticized by fans and the media for his performances.

Nevertheless, he has mostly played from the start under coach Bo Henriksen in recent weeks. It has now been two weeks since he left the club for FSV Mainz 05 in the Bundesliga. Under the new coaching duo, however, Afriyie is clearly no longer on the same level as he was under Henriksen.

A week ago, he didn't make the starting line-up and this weekend, too, he had to start on the bench. In the match against Lugano, he was substituted for an 18-year-old in the 72nd minute. In his just over 18 minutes, he managed six touches of the ball, but no really noteworthy actions.

The likelihood of his time in Zurich coming to an end in July is increasing if he doesn't start scoring goals soon – especially with the new sporting director of FC Zurich, who is currently leaving no stone unturned.

Like Essiam, the center-back also moved from Berekum Chelsea to Basel. However, with one exception, he had previously played for Berekum's second team. Adjetey is facing exactly the same scenario in Basel, having played just two games for the first team, but 25 games for the second team in the third-highest Swiss league.

At the moment, however, it looks as if the 20-year-old will be carefully introduced to the professional team. Last weekend, however, Adjetey wasn't nominated for the match day squad of the first team – although Basel traveled to FC Yverdon with a rather young squad.

Adjetey played in the second team instead. During his team's 1:0 defeat against the second team of FC Zurich, he played 90 minutes on the pitch.

Jonas Adjetey, here in a duel with Leroy Sané during a test match against Bayern Munich, is slowly approaching the FC Basel first team.

The center midfielder was loaned to the second-highest Swiss league last August from FC Ashdod in Israel. He has been a regular at FC Aarau since the beginning and has impressed with his performances.

Last week, he injured himself during the warm-up and had to be substituted after 14 minutes. There were great concerns that FC Aarau's key player had suffered a more serious injury. Fortunately, this was not the case and Pappoe played 90 minutes against FC Wil.

He struggled at the start, as the opposition had obviously identified him as a strength and pressed him hard. Later in the game, he dealt with this better and was also able to make an offensive impact. All in all, a solid game.

Pappoe is due to return to Israel at the end of the season, but it is quite possible that he will head straight to a higher league from there.

The 1.92m tall center-back moved to Israel from Pudu Mighty Jet in 2019. He played for a total of three different clubs before becoming unemployed last August.

Since Tuesday, Acquah is also under contract with FC Aarau in the second-highest Swiss league. He was not in the squad for the first two games since his arrival.

During his team's draw against FC Wil, he was allowed to sit on the bench for the first time, but watched the entire match from there.

In August 2018, Nuhu made the leap from the West African Football Academy to Europe. At FC St. Gallen, where he is teammates with Ati-Zigi, he did not yet make his breakthrough.

In July 2022, he was loaned to Norwegian club KuPS for six months. His time in eastern Switzerland was also marked by numerous injuries, and in his five years at FC St. Gallen, he made just 39 appearances for the first team. So far this season, he has only made two appearances for the U21 team.

The 23-year-old left Dreams FC for Israel in 2019 as an uprising star. Just one year after his arrival in the Middle East, he then moved to FC Lucerne in Switzerland's top division.

He was never able to establish himself there and was loaned back to Israel for six months in 2022.

Switzerland Check: Ati-Zigi unbeaten for the first time since AFCON, Afriyie has lost his spot in the starting eleven and Isaac Pappoe impresses in the second division

Switzerland Check: Ati-Zigi keeps 1st clean sheet after AFCON, Afriyie loses spot in starting XI

This season hasn't been Lawrence Ati-Zigi's best, especially compared to last year when he won the award for best goalkeeper in the Swiss Football League. Shortly before the AFCON, he had to relinquish his position in goal for the Black Stars to Richard Ofori, and his statistics in the Swiss league are currently not quite as good as they were last season.

Since his return from the AFCON, Ati-Zigi and his team haven't been performing as well as they would have liked, losing four out of five games and drawing one. The aforementioned draw came last Saturday when FC St. Gallen played FC Winterthur. Although Ati-Zigi's team took the lead twice, the 27-year-old was beaten. Ati-Zigi couldn't do much about the goals, and he also made two great saves during the game. Overall, however, it was a mediocre to solid performance, as he was once again not at his best with his feet, especially in build-up play.

Nevertheless, he has mostly played from the start under coach Bo Henriksen in recent weeks. Now that Henriksen has left the club and moved to the German Bundesliga (Mainz), Afriyie has to prove himself anew. In Sunday's clash against FC Lucerne, Afriyie didn't make the starting 11. He came onto the pitch after just under an hour but was unable to register a shot on goal during this time. Afriyie was not involved in his teammate's last-minute goal either. The likelihood of his time in Zurich coming to an end in July is increasing if he doesn't start scoring goals soon.

Daniel Afriyie needs to start performing if he wants to stay at FC zurich beyond the summer

The central midfielder moved from Berekum Chelsea to FC Basel in January 2022. The 20-year-old, who is regarded as a great talent, has not yet been able to establish himself there and was loaned to Stade Lausanne-Ouchy, another Super League club, in September 2023. He played nine games for the newly promoted club before suffering a serious shoulder injury.

Essiam is currently undergoing recovery work following surgery. While he was said to be out for the rest of the season, it now looks promising that Essiam will return this season. FC Basel did not remove him from the contingent list after the end of the transfer period. His return should therefore be expected in the coming weeks.

Like Essiam, the center-back also moved from Berekum Chelsea to Basel. However, with one exception, he had previously played for Berekum's second team. Adjetey is facing exactly the same scenario in Basel, having played just two games for the first team but 25 games for the second team in the third-highest Swiss league. At the moment, however, it looks as if the 20-year-old will be carefully introduced to the professional team. Last weekend, however, Adjetey wasn't nominated for the matchday squad of the first team but played for the U21s. He featured for 90 minutes in his team's 5-1 win against FC Luzern's U21s.

In August 2018, Nuhu made the leap from the West African Football Academy to Europe. At FC St. Gallen, where he is teammates with Ati-Zigi, he did not yet make his breakthrough. In July 2022, he was loaned to Norwegian club KuPS for six months. His time in eastern Switzerland was also marked by numerous injuries, and in his five years at FC St. Gallen, he made just 39 appearances for the first team. So far this season, he has only made two appearances for the U21 team. FC St. Gallen were said to be open to selling Nuhu to another club in this winter transfer period, but they didn’t find a buyer. Last weekend, he was neither in the first team squad nor in the second team.

It is very questionable whether Musah Nuhu will play for the FC St. Gallen first team again.

The 23-year-old left Dreams FC for Israel in 2019 as a rising star. Just one year after his arrival in the Middle East, he then moved to FC Lucerne in Switzerland's top division. He was never able to establish himself there and was loaned back to Israel for six months in 2022. Last July, the attacking midfielder was loaned out to FC Baden in the second-highest Swiss league but unfortunately injured his ACL after just four minutes. Since then, he has been out with a torn cruciate ligament and is working on his return.

The central midfielder was loaned to the second-highest Swiss league last August from FC Ashdod in Israel. He has been a regular at FC Aarau since the beginning and has impressed with his performances. Pappoe was also planned to be the leader in midfield again last Friday. But the 20-year-old twisted his ankle in the pre-match warm-up. He was still able to play after receiving medical treatment. However, he apparently realized that the pain was worse than expected and was substituted after 15 minutes.

Hopes are high that Pappoe has not suffered a serious injury, as he has been one of the club's best players this season. Pappoe is due to return to Israel at the end of the season, but it is quite possible that he will head straight to a higher league from there.

Isaac is currently on loan from Israel to the Swiss second division. He is impressing there.

The 1.92m tall center-back moved to Israel from Pudu Mighty Jet in 2019. He played for a total of three different clubs before becoming unemployed last August. Since Tuesday, Acquah is also under contract with FC Aarau in the second-highest Swiss league. He was not in the squad for the first or second game since his arrival. The reasons for this are not known, but it is quite possible that he has not yet reached the necessary match fitness after his time without a contract.

Switzerland Check: A weekly insight how the Ghanaian players perform in the Swiss Super League

Switzerland Check: Ati-Zigi loses again, while air is getting thinner and thinner for Afriyie

Mohammed Kudus (West Ham United): The star boy was on the pitch for 90 minutes against Nottingham Forest last weekend, but failed to really impress.

He picked up a yellow card after just eight minutes. Although he completed most of the dribbles, he failed to get a shot on goal and consequently failed to score. West Ham ultimately lost 2-0.

Jordan Ayew (Crystal Palace): <a href="https://www.pulse.com.gh/sports/football/jordan-ayew-impresses-new-crystal-palace-manager-glasner-with-goal-against-everton/lzspv9m">With a stunning goal against Everton on Monday evening</a>, the 32-year-old made his first bid to become a regular under new manager Oliver Glasner, who will soon be on the sidelines.

However, the Austrian will certainly not have missed the fact that Ayew lost 20 of his 25 one-on-ones. Overall, however, it was a solid performance, but ultimately not enough to secure victory. His team drew 1-1 with the Toffees.

Jeffrey Schlupp (Crystal Palace): 2024 is not yet going quite the way the 31-year-old would like. Schlupp has failed to impress in his appearances so far this year.

However, the Germany-born was not even in the squad for the match against Everton. It is not clear why, but it is quite possible that the change of manager at his club is an opportunity for him to prove himself once again.

Tariq Lamptey (Brighton &amp; Hove Albion): Was substituted at half-time in his side's match against bottom-placed Sheffield United. The reason for this was probably his yellow card, which he picked up shortly before half-time. He completed 26 of 27 passes, but otherwise remained rather discreet. Brighton ultimately won 5-0.

Antoine Semenyo (AFC Bournemouth): The right winger scored his last goal on the third of December. He did it again at the weekend against Newcastle, scoring to give his team a 2-1 lead. A strong performance from the 24-year-old, who then called it a day in the 79th minute and watched from the bench as his team conceded an equaliser in the 92nd minute.

Jordan Amissah (Sheffield United FC): The German-born goalkeeper alternates between the bench and the stands at the bottom of the Premier League. He played a single game for Sheffield United in August 2022, was loaned out to League One side Burton Albion in the meantime and is now back in the Steel City. Didn't make the squad versus Brighton &amp; Hove Albion.

Thomas Partey (Arsenal): The midfielder played his last game on 8 October. Since then he has been working on his recovery from a hamstring injury, but has also suffered a setback in the meantime. Arsenal coach Mikel Arteta announced last week that Partey should be ready for action again in around three weeks.

Jordan Ayew impresses new Crystal Palace manager Glasner with goal against Everton

Iñaki Williams (Athletic Bilbao): After his return from the AFCON, he sent FC Barcelona straight out of the Copa del Rey with his goal and his assist. Since then, he has appeared in four games but didn't manage to score. However, he did find the back of the net on Monday night clash against Girona. He scored the third goal in his team's 3-2 win. Williams, who captained his team, impressed with his performance. 6 shots on goal, one of which hit the crossbar.

Iddrisu Baba (UD Almeria): The midfielder is currently on loan to Almeria from RCD Mallorca and is a regular starter in Andalusia. Baba played 84 minutes in his team's 1-1 draw with Granada before being substituted with a knock. His performance was not really more than okay, as the defensive midfielder only won 5 of his 10 tackles.

Joseph Aidoo (Celta Vigo): The centre-back moved to Spain from Belgian side Genk in 2019. He injured his Achilles tendon in October and subsequently underwent surgery. He is unlikely to feature again this season.

Abdul Mumin (Rayo Vallecano): It's not quite clear what exactly the centre-back's role is playing at his club. Sometimes he plays from the start and then the whole game, but often he doesn't feature at all. Mumin did not play in his team's 1-1 draw against Real Madrid.

Inaki Williams put in a great performance on Monday night.

Inaki Williams scores on return from AFCON as Athletic Bilbao beat Barcelona

Patric Pfeiffer (FC Augsburg): The centre-back moved from promoted SV Darmstadt 98 to FC Augsburg last July. However, things are not going as planned for him there. He has only made six appearances so far, the last one on 20 December. He was not in the squad for the game against Mainz last weekend due to muscular problems.

Christopher Antwi-Adjei (VFL Bochum): The German-born left-sided midfielder hasn't managed to secure a regular place at VFL Bochum, but has still featured in 20 Bundesliga matches so far – starting in 9 of them. He has scored one goal and provided 2 assists. Although he did not score a goal in his team's sensational win against record champions Bayern Munich, he still played a very solid game. He was on the pitch for a total of 86 minutes.

Kasim Adams Nuhu (FC Hoffenheim): The fourteen-time Ghana international returned from a loan spell at Swiss side FC Basel in July 2023. Since then, however, he has played no part at the Bundesliga side, not even making the squad in 18 of 22 matches. He was back in the team for the last four games, but did not feature. He had to watch the defeat against Union Berlin from the bench.

Here's how the Ghanaians performed in Europe's top five leagues this weekend: Kudus failed to impress, Ayew was inconsistent but scored a stunner, Iñaki put in a top performance and scored the winner

Nicolas Horni

Articles written by the author

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