2019 Wafu Cup Final: Ghana vs Senegal preview

Two years ago Ghana won it on home soil but this round they are playing against another host nation in the shape of the physical, aggressive and potent Teranga Lions of Senegal.

Undoubtedly it's one match which will please a lot of neutrals with two teams who have shown a lot of attacking display, grit, talent and determination through out the tournament locking horns.

At times it was if one of the now finalist was exiting but by dint of hard work coupled with some luck they always managed to survive but on Sunday one of these teams may run out of luck as Ghana seek to make it a hat trick of Wafu titles.

Ghana entered the tournament having not had a domestic league since June 2018, due to the corruption crisis enveloping football there, hence coach Maxwell Konadu had his work cut out attempting to assemble a local squad of players with the Ghana Premier League only due to resume in November.

The reigning champions, who won the title on home soil two years ago, were in danger of a first-round exit after toiling against Gambia in their opener, but they have steadily grown into the tournament, as the players have found match sharpness and begun to rediscover the rhythm of competitive action.

After riding their luck to dispatch the Stallions on penalties -- with Eric Ofori Antwi making two fine stops -- they blitzed a fancied Ivory Coast in the semifinals, with Mumuni scoring a 20-minute hat-trick, the first in the tournament's history.

"I think Ghanaians appreciate what we are doing for the country, and with this team in particular," Konadu said after his side's 3-1 semifinal victory over Ivory Coast. "I've been on this team for the past six years, and we keep improving year after year.

"Only one member [of the 2017-winning squad] is with this team now, so we've had to assemble a new team.

"It wasn't easy.

"We had to gather players together to compete and we keep improving."

"In the final, we'll play better football than we did against the Ivory Coast," Konadu said. "Even though we scored three goals, I believe they played a bit better than we did."

Reaching Sunday's final has been an excellent achievement for Ghana, although they're up against a Senegal side that boasts a physical and athletic defensive unit, inspiration going forward, and a cutting edge up front.

While there's been little this tournament to match Ghana's second-half blitz of Ivory Coast, the Teranga Lions push them close for attacking quality, having flexed their attacking muscles against a strong Mali side in the semifinals and by dispatching Guinea-Bissau 3-1 in their opener.

However, they have their flaws; they were rattled when Guinean-Bissau pulled a goal back to give themselves a fighting chance of progression, and they were largely neutralised by a Benin side without two of their key players in the quarterfinals.

If Ghana can stifle and frustrate the hosts, in front of what will be a capacity, partisan crowd, then Senegalese nerves, and a lack of mental composure on the part of some of these young, talented players, may prompt similar reactions.