During the Monday evening game against Angola in the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualification match, midfielder Thomas Partey, a star player for Arsenal, was absent from the starting eleven of the Ghana national team.
This decision by head coach Chris Hughton left many Ghanaians questioning the reasoning behind it. In his post-match press conference, coach Hughton explained that Partey was dealing with a small injury issue and it was considered too risky to start him.
“Thomas (Partey) has a small injury issue & we felt it was too big of a risk to start him,” the Black Stars head coach said.
Despite his absence, Ghana managed to secure a 1-1 draw with Angola, enabling the Black Stars to maintain their position at the top of the Group E standings in the 2023 AFCON qualifiers.
