Inspired by Geoffrey Massa’s commanding influence, Cranes masterminded an emphatic 3-0 win over Ethiopia to remind Ghana of what to expect during Saturday’s Nations Cup qualifier.

The 28-year-old stand-in Cranes captain struck the first, then set up Yunus Ssentamu for the second before Farouk Miya notched the third in front of a nearly capacity crowd at Namboole Stadium on Sunday.

Massa later stated: “We are ready for Ghana. It was a good performance from the boys. It’s the kind of result you need ahead of a big game.”

Apart from the motivation that came with the result, the friendly also provided a decent assessment of the side and fitness levels of particular individuals.

Although goalkeeper Robert Odongkara will relinquish his position to first choice Denis Onyango on Saturday, he reemphasised his qualities with a point blank save mid-way the first half.

In the absence of the team’s preferred back four of Denis Iguma, Godfrey Walusimbi, Andrew Mwesigwa and Savio Kabugo, understudies Isaac Isinde, Richard Kassaga and Brian Majwega stepped in with distinction.

Unlike Walusimbi, who will be suspended for the game against the Black Stars, Iguma’s omission however remains a mystery considering the progress he had made at right back.

Tony Mawejje and Miya -as expected -marshalled the team’s midfield with reasonable success but it’s the return of Hassan Wasswa and Mike Sserumaga that must have delighted Cranes coaching staff.

Wasswa impressed as a second half substitute and will guarantee the team that needed depth off the bench as an understudy for first choice midfielders Khalid Aucho and Geoffrey Kizito.

How about Sserumaga? It’s easy to get carried away about a player in just his first game after a long while in the wilderness. But when you perform like Sserumaga did, making it hard for defenders to pick him up, it’s extremely hard to ignore.

The issue Cranes coaching staff will have to deal with is how to fit him into the side. Sserumaga brings others into play and will prove important for the team with time.

He is an exceptional talent and has one of the best left foots in the country. Till now, Cranes had yet to find the ideal number 10 to play behind the lead striker.

In Sserumaga, the signs were good, just as they were for Ssentamu. After several pleas, Ssentamu finally started a Cranes game for the first time since his impressive outing at the Africa Nations Championships (CHAN) early this year.

His movement was notable and provided proof as to why Cranes are a better unit with two strikers rather than a lone-front man in attack as has been the case since the start of the 2015 Nations Cup qualifiers.