CHAIRMAN: DR. KHALID BIN THANI AL THANI
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: PROF. KHALID MUBARAK AL-SHAFI

Sports / Football

Football: Grant hails Ghana match-winner Mensah

Published: 09 Jun 2015 - 05:57 pm | Last Updated: 13 Jan 2022 - 07:27 am


Johannesburg--Ghana coach Avram Grant praised Bernard Mensah Tuesday after a goal by the debutant gave Ghana a 1-0 victory over Togo in a 2017 Africa Cup of Nations warm-up.

"I am happy with his performance, especially his goal," former Chelsea manager Grant said of the 20-year-old midfielder from Portuguese club Vitoria Guimaraes.

"Bernard is among the players I have been monitoring recently and I promise he will not be our last discovery.

"The match was a good experience and we are satisfied with the outcome," added the coach who guided Ghana to second at the 2015 Cup of Nations in Equatorial Guinea.

Mensah struck after 40 minutes at Accra Sports Stadium to win a friendly international dominated by Ghana against opponents lacking several key players.

Tottenham striker Emmanuel Adebayor and France-based goalkeeper Kossi Agassa and midfielder Floyd Ayite refused to train regularly with the squad last week and were dropped.

Former African Footballer of the Year Adebayor is the star of the Sparrow Hawks and a consistent source of goals.

But recently appointed Belgian Tom Saintfiet is the latest coach to have trouble with a star recently given compassionate leave by Tottenham to handle family problems.

AFP