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| May 31, 2006 | Wednesday | Jumadi-ul-Awwal 3, 1427 |
Ghana warn rivals with victory over Jamaica
LEICESTER (England), May 30: Ghana beat Jamaica 4-1 in a friendly on Monday, prompting their Serb coach Ratomir Dujkovic to declare: “We are getting better each game and by the time of the World Cup we will be ready to beat any team.”
Ghana are in Group E with the Czech Republic, the United States and Italy.
They got off to a perfect start on Monday when Sulley Muntari pounced on a loose ball on five minutes after Jamaican keeper Donovan Ricketts could only parry a shot from distance.
In the 19th minute, Stephen Appiah's volley cannoned off Jamaica defender Damien Stewart's head and was powerfully diverted past his own goalkeeper.
With Chelsea's Michael Essien controlling midfield and AS Roma's Sammy Kuffour marshalling the defence, Ghana rarely looked likely to concede for most of the opening period.
For Jamaica, Ricardo Johnson replaced Luton Shelton at the break and the change paid dividends.
On 58 minutes, Shane Crawford's long-range free kick was not dealt with, allowing Jason Euell to convert from close range.
Jamaica looked capable of getting something from the game, but their hopes were dashed when Ghana scored twice in two minutes midway through the half.
Firstly an Appiah right-foot drive ended up in the back of the net then Matthew Amoah made it 4-1 after Ricketts spilled another shot.
Dujkovic said: “Every match is important and with the World Cup so close it is important to get the sharpness in the team.
“I'm 80 per cent sure of the players who I want for the first game against Italy (on June 12).”—Reuters
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