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U-23 AFCON Qualifier: Black Meteors face The Mambas test

Ghana’s quest to return to the men’s Olympic Games football begins tomorrow at the Estadio Nacional do Zimpeto in Mozambique, where Ghana’s Black Meteors face The Mambas in the first leg qualifier.

The Black Meteors have been absent from the competition after last participating in the 2004 edition in Greece.

Gladly, they were exempted from the first round of qualifiers for the fourth edition of the U-23 Africa Cup of Nations tournament scheduled for Morocco in June next year.

That tournament will provide the tickets for Africa’s representatives for the next Olympic Games in Paris in 2024.

Head Coach Ibrahim Tanko’s who oversaw Ghana’s unsuccessful outing at the last edition in 2019 in Egypt has been tasked to lead the side again and understands the nation’s hunger to return to the global sports fiesta.

After six weeks of preparation, Tanko stated ahead of departure to Maputo on Thursday that his side was ready for the task ahead.

“We have had some good preparations, and we are ready for the game tomorrow. We are sure to get a positive result from this game and finish it off in the second leg in Ghana.”

The side has been boosted by the arrival of Black Galaxies skipper Daniel Afriyie Barnieh, Suraj Seidu, Dominic Nsobila, Augustine Randolf and former U-20 AFCON winning fullback Philemon Baffour who currently plays for Rio Ave in the Portuguese league.

The Mambas gained qualification to the second round after eliminating Mauritius 5-1 on aggregate in the first round.

The second Leg will be hosted at the Baba Yara Stadium on Sunday, October 30.

Should the Black Meteors go past The Mambas, they will come up against either DR Congo or Algeria in the third and final round of qualifiers on March 2023.

BY RAYMOND ACKUMEY

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