A first half free kick from Thomas Partey was enough to see off Zimbabwe as Ghana climbed to the summit of Group G in the World Cup qualifiers.
Having lost the reverse fixture 3-1, Zimbabwe needed results from this game to keep their feint hopes of qualification alive.
Thomas Partey stepped up just after the half hour mark to power a free kick from about 25 yards past the Zimbabwe goalkeeper after Baba Rahman was fouled.
The win sends Ghana to nine points as they climb above South Africa, who play Ethiopia later today.
Partey takes the freekick from which he score Ghana’s only goal to beat Zimbabwe in Harare on Tuesday afternoon
Partey, who is the first deputy captain of the Black Stars, got his chance to captain the team after Andre Ayew was dropped by Milovan Rajevac. Richard Ofori, who was next in line, was omitted from the squad due to injury.
As a result, Partey was given the armband ahead of this must-win game for the Black Stars in Harare.
The Arsenal midfielder scored match winning goal from a direct free kick in the first half to cap off a mature performance.
It wasn’t the first time 28-year-old scored whilst wearing the armband for the Black Stars.
Partey has captained Ghana on four occasion during his five-year spell with the national team and has scored a goal each time.
He first captained the Black Stars against Japan in a friendly in 2018. The midfielder scored from a direct free kick as Ghana beat their Asian counterparts 2-0.
A month later, Partey was on target as captain again in another friendly against Iceland which ended 2-2.
Partey was named as captain in a friendly a year later as he once again scored against Mauritania in a 3-1 win.
The Arsenal man has so far showed he has an eye for goal especially when he is named as captain.
Credit: Joy Online
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