Head to Head: Ghana versus Zimbabwe, who is ahead?

Ghana’s Black Stars will take on the Warriors of Zimbabwe in matchday three of the 2022 Qatar World Cup qualifiers in a doubleheader this month, first at the Cape Coast Sports stadium on Saturday before the return leg at Zimbabwe on Tuesday.

Both sides are in a precarious situation and risk missing out on qualification to the next round, thus would be expected to go all out to win these two matches in October ahead of the two final group phase games later.

But how has it been between the two nations? Have they met before and if yes how many times and who has the upper hand? We bring to you the details of the history for the matches between the two sides and who may have the upper hand per the history.

Ghana and Zimbabwe are not new to each other on the football scene and though they are not very frequent foes on the pitch and their last encounters dates back to over a decade ago, they have a fair share of exchanges on the pitch.

The first clash between Ghana and Zimbabwe was in 1996 in an international friendly when the Warriors hosted the Black Stars. That game ended in a 1-1 draw at the Rufaro Stadium in Harare. The Black Stars were under the management of Brazilian coach, Ishmael Kurtz.

That was the only friendly match between and there has never been any other friendly to date. They however have met on five more occasions and all in the Africa Cup of Nations. The Black Stars have triumphed on three occasions, drew in one and lost in the one.

Their first competitive meeting was in 1997 when they faced of in the Afcon qualifying series with the Warriors hosting the Stars in Harare. That match ended in a goalless draw. Mohammed Gargo, Abedi Ayew Pele, Samuel Kuffour, Felix Aboagye, Kim Grant, Simon Addo, Adjetey Adjei, Patrick Allotey, Bernard Nii Aryee, Ablade Kumah, and Christian Sabah started for Ghana with Shamo Quaye coming on later as a substitute.

Zimbabwe had Bruce Grobbelaar in post for the match and was under the management of Ian Porterfield with Charles Yohane, Vitalis Takawira and Edelbert Dinha as some of the players while Ghana was coached by Samy Arday.

The return leg was played in Ghana on July 13, six months after the first leg was played in Harare. Ghana made a few changes to their starting XI this time around with Richard John Ackon, Emmanuel Armah, Ansah Princeton Dnusu and Robert Boateng coming as replacements for Kim Grant, Ablade Kumah, Mohammed Gargo and Bernard Nii Aryee. Abedi Ayew scored the first goal of the match for the Black Stars in the 22nd minute and Sheperd Muradzikwa equalized for the visitors two minutes later before Samuel Kuffour secured the win for Ghana in the 39th-minute.

When Ghana and Zimbabwe met again, it was in 2000 in an Afcon qualifier for the 2002 Africa Cup of Nations. Ghana this time around hosted the Warriors first in Accra. Goals for Stephen Appiah and Emmanuel Duah in the first have cruised Ghana into a 2-1 lead with Benjani’s 45th-minute goal only halving the deficit. Two further goals in the second half from Charles Amoah and Charles Akunnor were enough to seal a comprehensive 4-1 win for Ghana.

Zimbabwe welcomed the Stars to Harare in June 2001 for the return leg but the Black Stars were again too strong for the Warriors are they secured another victory to make it three wins on the trot against the Warriors. William Mugeyi scored after 14 minutes into the game to hand Zimbabwe the lead but Owusu Ansah levelled for Ghana six minutes before the first-half break. Isaac Boakye sealed all three points for Ghana with a 90th-minute goal as the Stars did the double over the Warriors.

The last meeting between the two nations came in 2006 in the Africa Cup of Nations tournament in Group D encounter. With Ghana needing a win to advance to the quarter-finals of the tournament in Egypt, they came face to face with Zimbabwe who had lost their first two matches in the tournament to Senegal and Nigeria. Issah Gabriel Ahmed own goal in the 63rd-minute would leave Ghana gasping for air and survival with less than half of an hour to play. Benjani who had scored against Ghana in the qualifiers popped up again this time around with a verdict of decisive goal eight minutes after Ahmed’s own goal.

Ghana laboured hoping to produce a comeback draw late on when that would have been enough to see them through to the next round after Nigeria produced two late goals to take hope away from Senegal in the other group match played simultaneously. But all efforts proved futile even though they managed a consolation through Baba Armando Adamu in the second minute of added time.

Since then, the two nations have never met in any competition at the senior level so this meeting on Saturday would mark a great return to a one-handed dominant rivalry that ended in tears for the Goliath in the matchup. Both sides are aiming to make it to the World Cup in Qatar next year but are left hanging in the balance. Ghana is trailing South Africa by a lone point and is level on points with Ethiopia who were winners against Zimbabwe in matchday two, leaving the Warriors trailing in the group with a point earned against group leaders, the Bafana Bafana.

Ghana may be the bookish favourite especially with a new breath of life into the team with the appointment of a new coach and the return of Thomas Partey and Mohammed Kudus, but they are also without first-choice goalkeeper Richard Ofori and Wakaso Mubarak who scored the Stars only goal in the qualifiers. And Zimbabwe was also able to hold out for a draw against the Bafana Bafana who outplayed the Black Stars and defeated them one-nil in matchday two.

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