Opinions of Thursday, 2 February 2017

Columnist: www.goal.com

Cameroon vs Ghana: Five players to watch

Black Stars will be in action against Cameroon Black Stars will be in action against Cameroon

Fabrice Ondoa: Cameroon have come this far because of the efforts of 21-year-old goalkeeper Fabrice Ondoa. His heroic goalkeeping stopped the vibrant Senegalese forward line from scoring in the quarter finals and he went on to stop Sadio Mane’s penalty in the shoot out to send his team through to the semi-finals. He will be key once more against Ghana whose strikers have continued to grow in confidence as the tournament has progressed.


Andre Ayew: Two penalty kicks have been converted by the older Ayew in this tournament. His attacking prowess is not in doubt and he has been the inspirational leader of the Black Stars since injury side-lined captain Asamoah Gyan after their third game. He will do everything to reach the final again in order to win the title, so the Lions should expect lots of fireworks from him.


Benjamin Moukandjo: With one goal and an assist in the group stage, Cameroon captain Bernard Moukandjo is a dangerous striker who is capable of creating magic in tight spaces. His experience and inspiration was needed when the Indomitable Lions fell behind against Guinea Bissau as he led them into equalising and then winning the game. He should prove a tough one for the Ghanaian back line.


Christian Atsu: Newcastle United winger Christian Atsu won the penalty that helped Ghana win their quarter final game. He is capable of producing good play on his day and will be out to cause havoc for the Cameroonian defence. It could be his time to hit the back of net, you should not bet against it.


Vincent Aboubakar: Besitktas’ Vincent Aboubakar is yet to score in this tournament. He was brought on from the bench against Senegal and he went on to score the winning spot kick. He has a lot of experience going forward and would be a big boost for Hugo Broos and his assistants if he comes on to make the difference.