Asamoah Gyan’s ‘This Nonsense Must Stop’ Rant Vindicated After Majeed Ashimeru Masterclass vs Angola

• Gyan protested Majeed Ashimeru's exclusion from the World Cup in Qatar last year
• It was later revealed the Anderlecht midfielder was nursing an injury hence the exclusion
• Despite the prevailing facts, Gyan was somewhat proved right after Ashimeru's performance

Asamoah Gyan might have lost his predatory instincts as a striker largely due to his inactivity, but his 'football sense' has never been in doubt.

The legendary African forward launched a scathing attack on the handlers of the Black Stars and the top hierarchy of the Ghana Football Association prior to the 2022 Word Cup in Qatar after Majeed Ashimeru was omitted from the final squad.

According to Gyan, the Anderlecht midfield linchpin is the best Ghanaian midfielder, bar Thomas Partey. Hence he deserved a spot on the team, per Pulse.

His comment was triggered by the decision of the Otto Addo-led Black Stars to drop the midfielder ahead of last year's Mundial.

Video: Antoine Semenyo's dramatic last gasp match winner for Ghana sinks stubborn Angola

Football

Asamoah was not convinced the four-time African champions had assembled the best crop of its players after the omission of Ashimeru.

Since eliciting those comments, the former RB Salzburg midfielder has not had the opportunity to prove his worth in the Black Stars jersey until Monday, March 27, during an AFCON qualification match against Angola.

Ashimeru stars in Partey's absence

Majeed finally landed a chance to show Ghanaians why the ex-Black Stars skipper held him in high esteem.

In the absence of Thomas Partey during Ghana's reverse tie against Angola in Luanda, coach Chris Hughton threw Ashimeru into the mix.

The 25-year-old wasted little time in stamping his authority on the game with his assured confidence on the ball, Sportsworldghana reports.

In 18 minutes, Ashimeru made nine accurate passes, seven out of them were forward zone passes, underlining his ball progression abilities.

Footage of heartwarming moment Kudus stops security from heckling fan to take selfie surfaces online

Football

For good measure, he also created one big chance, which bar the timely intervention of the Angolan goalkeeper, could have resulted in the match-winning goal.

His intelligence on the ball made him resistant to the Angolan press, giving Ghana the edge in midfield and shifting the ball possession stats in favour of the Black Stars.

Why Asamoah Gyan was right?

Ashimeru's performance, which passed the eye test and ticked every metric for measuring a midfielder, delivered a performance Thomas Partey would be proud of.

Most importantly, it proved Asamoah was right all along. Ashimeru made sure the Arsenal star was not to be missed.

Gyan reacts after Ashimeru's masterclass

Sports Brief earlier reported that former Black Stars captain Asamoah Gyan feels vindicated after new Ghana midfielder Abdul Majeed Ashimeru's cameo display against Angola.

The Anderlecht star made a huge impact in the 18 minutes that he played as the Black Stars shared the spoils with the Palancas Negras in the AFCON qualifier on Monday.

Ashimeru proved Gyan right after playing a key role in Ghana's leveller at the August 11th Stadium in Luanda. He also provided a key pass to Joseph Paintsil, but brave defending from Carneiro prevented the Genk forward from scoring. In a cheeky tweet, Gyan posted: "who is this guy?"