Sports Features of Tuesday, 20 September 2011

Source: mtnfootball

Ghanaian striker takes Sweden by storm

Very little is known about striker Abdul Majeed Waris in his home country of Ghana but he is making a big name for himself in Sweden.

At a time that Ghana is crying out of for a top-notch striker, the Tamale-born attacker has burst on the scene in the European country's top-flight.

The 20-year-old, who plays for Hacken, scored for his club on his birthday on Sunday as they beat one of the top clubs Elfsborg 2-0 to move to fourth on the table.

Waris, who wears the number 18 jersey, was even brought down in the box for a penalty which was wasted by his team-mate.

The powerful attacker was very dominant in the game as he was instrumental in the first goal before scoring the second through a swift counter-attack.

It was his second goal in two matches which has made the Swedish press take notice of the player whose start to the season was affected by injury.

Having recovered fully from the injury which took him to Hacken's second team, Waris looks to have rediscovered the form that saw him as the highest scorer in pre-season football in Sweden this season.

He scored nine goals in eight matches ahead of the start of the season before the injury struck confining him to the second team and less playing time.

But with the Ghanaian striker fully recovered, defenders and the media in Sweden are taking the youngster seriously.

His pace and power has proved very difficult for defenders in the Swedish top-flight which has resulted in rave reviews in the country's newspapers.

The Tamale-born player has also got the dribbling skills to delight Ghana fans who are hungry for a clinical finisher for their national team.

Surprisingly he didn't play for a big team in the country before departing to play football in Sweden.

Waris is a graduate of the Right to Dream Academy in Ghana which has recently been churning out some of the country's bright talents.

The players at the Right to Dream Academy are normally not from privileged background but coupled with excellent education they have at the school, they are moulding some of Ghana's intelligent and talented players for the future.