Kirin Cup: Asare shines as Black Stars fall narrowly to South Korea in Seoul.
Benjamin Asare delivered a standout performance in goal as the Black Stars showed marked improvement in their final match of the Asian tour, narrowly losing 1-0 to South Korea at the Seoul World Cup Stadium on Tuesday.
South Korea took the lead when Tae-seok Lee was left unmarked at the far post and headed home from close range. But Asare, making his first appearance of the tour, kept Ghana in the game with a string of confident saves — including a crucial penalty stop to deny Wolverhampton Wanderers’ Hwang Hee-chan.
The Hearts of Oak goalkeeper’s interventions gave Ghana a fighting chance in an entertaining contest that saw Otto Addo’s side create several promising opportunities. Debutant Prince Kwabena Adu had a composed finish ruled out for offside, while Brandon Thomas-Asante struck the post in a lively second half.
Despite missing key players — including Mohammed Kudus, Thomas Partey, Mohammed Salisu, Antoine Semenyo, and captain Jordan Ayew — the Black Stars produced a spirited display that offered positives after their 2-0 defeat to Japan last Friday.
The two friendlies formed part of Ghana’s preparations for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America. With the squad still finding rhythm and depth, Addo will take encouragement from the resilience and attacking intent shown in Seoul.
Ghana will discover their World Cup group-stage opponents on December 5 when the official draw is held.
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