England v Ghana, 29 September 2009

Kick-Off: 9.30pm local (8.30pm BST) www.FIFA.com Match Report Ayew excels as Satellites progress Andre Ayew's fantastic goal was the highlight for Ghana in a 4-0 victory over England which qualified them for the next stage and left the Three Lions staring an early exit firmly in the face. The English were dealt a major blow on the eve of the game as a stomach virus had affected four members of the squad. First choice goalkeeper Jason Steele, left-back Matthew Briggs, holding midfielder Adam Clayton and Chelsea youngster Michael Woods were all forced to watch the game from the team hotel. Yet despite these handicaps, England dominated the early exchanges, as Ghana struggled to get out of their half. As early as the ninth minute, they had a fantastic opportunity to take the lead when Kieran Trippier's perfectly delivered free-kick was flicked on by Ben Mee to Jonathan Obika, who rose above the Black Satellites defence but saw his header rebound off the crossbar. Sellas Tetteh was blessed with the luxury of keeping the same team that defeated Uzbekistan 2-1 and Ghana swiftly got into their stride. Samuel Inkoom put in a great cross into the box which Adiyiah met with a header and Elliott Parish was less than convincing in gathering the ball. The left hand side of England's defence seem to have been targeted by the Africans and that particular channel was the source of their best moves. There were warning signs when Mohammed Rabiu glanced a header wide from Ayew's free-kick and the captain embarked on a fine solo run, leaving Nana Ofori-Twumasi in his wake before firing into the side netting. By this stage, Ghana were dominating physically and territorially, and with England camped in their own half, central defender Martin Kelly was proving to be a real rock. However, the Liverpool defender was powerless to deny Adiyiah from scoring in the 38th minute. Once again, Inkoom played a fine cross into the box and the striker took a tremendous first touch, which allowed him to turn sharply on his heels and power the ball into the net. It could have been two just before half-time, but Parish made a great save to frustrate Ransford Osei. Like the first half, England started brightly and were unlucky not to equalise when Josh Walker's well-taken corner was met by Kelly on the volley, but the ball flew over. Just when it seemed as though England would create the pressure needed to produce the equaliser, Ghana doubled their advantage through a moment of magic from skipper Ayew. The Marseille midfielder picked up the ball on the edge of the box and hit a rising left-foot shot past three England defenders and into the top corner of the net. While Ayew was hoisted aloft by his team-mates, Brian Eastick's gameplan had been ruined for the second time in as many games by a stunning goal. Yet to their credit, both teams decided to push for goals; Ghana attempting to top the group on goals scored prior to their final group game with Uruguay, and England hoping to claw their way back into the game and keep their hopes of a place in the last 16 alive. Once again, it was that man Ayew who came close to having a final say, with his outrageous back heeled volley going over the bar. With nine minutes to go, England suffered another slice of bad luck when Ransford Osei's goalbound shot took a wicked deflection of Mee to leave Parish wrong-footed. Ghana poured further salt on England's wounds by making it 4-0 in the 88th minute through Adiyiah, which gave the Black Satellites their biggest win in the FIFA U-20 World Cup and also handing England their heaviest defeat in the competition. While Ghana now safely through to the last 16, they must now avoid defeat againt Uruguay to finish top of Group F and avoid a clash against the winners of Group E. England, meanwhile must do something they have not done in their past eight matches at the FIFA U-20 World Cup, namely score a goal and defeat Uzbekistan, probably by a considerable margin if they are to avoid elimination.