Frustration for Amad as Ivory Coast crash to heartbreaking loss vs Germany
· Yahoo Sports
Manchester United forward Amad was unable to inspire the Ivory Coast as they fell to a painful late 2-1 defeat to Germany in their second World Cup clash.
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Edged out
Somewhat against expectations, the Ivory Coast took the lead in the 30th minute through Franck Kessie, who was on hand to fire home after Amad had been unable to get a clean shot away.
The match hung in the balance as both teams had their moments. Then, in the 68th minute, substitute Deniz Undav met Nadiem Amiri’s cross to restore parity and end Ivory Coast’s stubborn resistance.
The Elephants created chances, the clearest of which came to Simon Adingra. Unfortunately, he miscontrolled the ball, giving a Germany defender the opportunity to step in and win possession.
Undav then rubbed salt in the wounds deep into stoppage time, slotting home a tidy finish to break Ivory Coast hearts.
Amad was his nation’s hero in their opener against Ecuador, scoring a late winner that earned him a starting berth. However, he was unable to replicate that impact in what proved to be a tightly contested affair.
The United man was on the pitch for 75 minutes before he was taken off and replaced by Simon Adingra.
Amad’s performance
Amad managed to find his teammates with 17 of the 18 passes he attempted (94% individual pass accuracy). Two of these were key passes.
He had only one shot and squandered a big chance, but it didn’t prove costly as Kessie was there to slot home and put Ivory Coast ahead.
The United star touched the ball 35 times. He embarked on five dribbles, failing to complete any of them – an area he will be desperate to put right before the nation’s next World Cup outing.
Amad made four defensive contributions. He won both tackles he put in and made four recoveries. He delved into nine ground duels but came out on top just twice.
(Stats obtained from Sofascore)
Amad and his teammates are next in action on Thursday when they face Curacao in Philadelphia.
Featured image Michael Reaves/Getty
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