Ghana’s disappointing Kirin Cup campaign continued as the Black Stars suffered a second consecutive defeat, falling 1-0 to hosts South Korea courtesy of a 72nd-minute header from full-back Lee Tae-seok. This was Asian giants first win over the Black Stars since 2011.
Ghana entered the game needing not just improvement but also a win after after falling to a 2-0 defeat to Japan last Friday.
The first half was a largely scrappy affair dominated by defensive resilience and misplaced passing, with South Korea looking unusually lethargic against a well-organised Ghana side.
The Taeguk Warriors struggled to find any rhythm, completing just a few of their passes and failing to register a single shot on target until the 41st minute.
Ghana, by contrast, looked the more threatening in the opening 45 minutes. In the 31st minute, Kamaldeen Sulemana forced a smart low save from Song Bum-keun with a vicious 25-yard drive.
Three minutes later, Ernest Nuamah (Irenki) saw his curled effort comfortably dealt with, while Raymond Owusu dragged a shot wide from similar range shortly afterwards.
South Korea’s only real moment of danger came from a 41st-minute Son Heung-min corner, which Kwon Hyuk-kyu met firmly only for Lawrence Ati-Zigi (referred to in reports as Asare) to make a superb reaction save.
Two minutes later, a scramble in the Ghana box saw the ball ricochet off Park Jin-seop and roll into the side-netting after Sulemana’s vital interception. At 0-0 at the break felt like a fair reflection, with Ghana arguably the happier side.
The second half followed a similar pattern until the game sparked into life around the 70-minute mark. In the 72nd minute, Hwang Hee-chan won a penalty after a mazy run into the box drew a clumsy challenge.
The Wolverhampton forward stepped up himself but telegraphed his kick straight down the middle, allowing Ati-Zigi to stand tall and make a comfortable save – a huge psychological boost for the Black Stars.
Yet just when it seemed Ghana might steal all three points, South Korea struck. From a quick throw-in on the right, Lee Tae-seok ghosted unmarked into the box and powered a header past Ati-Zigi from Son Heung-min’s precise cross to send the home crowd into raptures.
Ghana threw everything forward in the final stages. In the 80th minute, Sulemana danced past two defenders only to see his low shot flash inches wide. Three minutes later, Emmanuel Asante’s surging run ended with a deflected effort that looped just off target.
The Black Stars thought they had equalised in the 85th minute when Jonah Ajetei turned home a loose ball after Song Bum-keun had brilliantly denied both Sulemana’s free-kick and Owusu’s follow-up, but the assistant’s flag cut the celebrations short – a tight but correct offside call.
Deep into stoppage time, South Korea nearly added a second when Hwang Hee-chan’s low cross found substitute Eom Ji-sung, whose first-time strike crashed back off the post with Ati-Zigi beaten.
The rebound was scrambled clear and the final whistle confirmed a hard-fought 1-0 victory for the hosts.