It’s shaping to be an exciting weekend of football at Valentine Sports Park as Ghana U20s face Colombia U20s in an international friendly before they head off to compete in the FIFA U20s World Cup in New Zealand.
Purchase tickets online via Moshtix.
Kickoff: 3pm, Sunday 24th May
Gates Open: 2pm
Venue: Valentine Sports Park, 235-257 Meurants Lane, Glenwood.
Tickets: Adults $20, Juniors (children 12 & under) $10.
About the teams…
Ghana U20’s emerged as one of the most attractive sides at the qualifying competition with their fast-paced football. They play possession football with quick and accurate passing and are swift on the counter, which they mainly do from either of the flanks. In Clifford Aboagye and Yaw Yeboah the Black Satellites have two creative players who are undoubtedly the fulcrum of the team. Aboagye, who plays for Granada in Spain, was a member of the 2011 team which placed third in Turkey and his experience and creativity are vital to the side. Yeboah, who is with Manchester City in England, is another member of the squad whose versatility suits the team’s tactical flexibility. It was not a surprise when he won the Player of the Tournament award in Senegal.
Colombia U20’s game plan is based on bossing possession and smart movement. This combination prevents the defence from being overworked and allows the side to conserve energy by not having to chase games, while also making it possible to get plenty of players into attacking positions. This was evident in Uruguay, where they peaked at the business end of the competition, had one of the best defensive records (conceding just five times in nine matches) and boasted six different scorers on the way to racking up 12 goals.The squad oozes quality. Goalkeeper Alvaro Montero and central defender Juan Quintero are both rocks at the back. Key figures further up the pitch include attacking midfielders Brayan Rovira and Jarlan Barrera and forwards Rafael Borre and Jeison Lucumi. The latter was the team’s top scorer in qualifying with four goals.