Unity Cup 2025: Fans Chide Benjamin Asare After Conceding Two Goals Against Nigeria
- Benjamin Asare faced backlash from Ghanaians after he conceded twice in the Black Stars' defeat to Nigeria in the Unity Cup
- Netizens were unforgiving in their assessment of the shot-stopper, with one person comparing him to Man United's Andre Onana
- Joseph Anang may replace Asare in Ghana's third-place play-off against Trinidad and Tobago on Saturday
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After keeping two consecutive clean sheets, Benjamin Asare’s bright run with the Black Stars hit a rough patch under the London lights.
The Hearts of Oak shot-stopper, who recently displaced Lawrence Ati-Zigi as Ghana’s first-choice goalkeeper, endured a tough evening at the GTech Community Stadium.
What began as a promising outing quickly turned into a nightmare as Nigeria struck twice in five minutes, leaving the Black Stars stunned.
Source: Twitter
Asare started the match with confidence, even thrilling fans with a bit of flair early on.
In one standout moment, he completely bamboozled Samuel Chukwueze with a slick piece of footwork, drawing cheers from the stands and underlining his recent growth in confidence and distribution.
But the good vibes didn't last long.
Benjamin Asare loses his clean sheet record
A series of defensive mishaps, coupled with questionable goalkeeping decisions, handed Nigeria the initiative.
The first goal stemmed from a lapse on the left flank. Gideon Mensah, perhaps a little too casual, lost the ball in a dangerous area.
Source: Twitter
Nigerian full-back Ismaila Sodiq took full advantage, whipping in a teasing delivery.
Razak Simpson, usually reliable at the back, misjudged the flight and slipped at the worst possible moment.
Cyril Dessers needed no second invitation, slotting home from close range with Asare helplessly exposed, as noted by the BBC.
Moments later, the second blow came, and this one was harder to defend, but partly to blame on Asare.
Nigeria earned a free kick from the troublesome left flank. Asare appeared to initially commit to coming off his line.
But halfway through his movement, he hesitated. In that split-second of indecision, Semi Ajayi and Simpson collided in the air.
According to the Standard, the ball, deflected awkwardly off the Ghanaian defender, looped into the net, catching Asare flat-footed and out of position.
Fans chide Asare after conceding twice against Nigeria
The reaction was immediate and unforgiving.
Fans flooded social media to vent their frustrations, turning their criticism toward the 32-year-old goalkeeper.
@kobe_boujee88 couldn't hide his sarcasm:
"We dey see Benjamin Asare in true colours now 😂😂"
@lk_benn chimed in with a cheeky comparison:
"You see oo😂😂 Onana kraa y3😂"
@faiyazboateng joked:
"Man reach London dey show we Joe Hart moves😭"
@OkSenyaaa didn’t hold back:
"Benjamin Asare is such a fraud, man. But apparently him getting clean sheets in the GPL makes him the best Ghanaian keeper."
@emma_jnrk offered a brutal summary:
"This is the real Benjamin Asare wai, local players are not good for Black Stars if you really want results."
Five key lessons after Ghana's loss to Nigeria
In another write-up, YEN.com.gh broke down five key lessons from Ghana’s narrow defeat to Nigeria at the GTech Community Stadium.
One glaring issue was the disappointing output from the locally based players, who failed to rise to the occasion.
Proofreading by Omoleye Omoruyi, copy editor at YEN.com.gh.
Source: YEN.com.gh
