Ghana have reached the final of the U20 FIFA World Cup twice but lost in 1993 and 2001. But Black Satellites fans hope 2009 will be different. And a big reason will be their world class striker, Fredrikstad FK’s Dominic Adiyiah.
Feyenoord Academy Start
Adiyiah was born on November 29, 1989 in Accra, Ghana. He began his football career at the Ghana football youth powerhouse Feyenoord Academy in 2000 and stayed there until January 2007. He was named the Most Valuable Player of the Globacom Premier League. He then transferred to One Touch League side Heart of Lions and scored 13 goals in 24 matches – finishing second in the scoring list.
Move Abroad To Norway
Adiyiah in August 2008 made the move to Europe, landing at Norwegian top flight club Fredrikstad FK, where he replaced Tarik Elyounoussi, who had moved onto SC Heerenveen. In four appearances during the 2008 season he did not score but impressed Fredrikstad’s coaching staff in helping the team finish second in the league. During the training camp for the 2009 season he scored twice but has not scored in four league matches. He also started Fredrikstad’s return leg in the Europa League Third Qualifying Round against Lech Poznan.
Teaming With Osei
Adiyiah was an easy coach for Ghana coach Sellas Tetteh for the U20 World Cup squad in Egypt to partner with Ransford Osei, who scored seven goals in five games as Ghana won the U20 African Championship. But while Osei was the main scorer in the African championship, Adiyiah, who scored once in Rwanda, has been the dominating factor in Egypt.
Four Times The Match Winner
Adiyiah’s U20 World Cup started with a bang against Uzbekistan, scoring the winning goal in the 75th minute of Ghana’s 2-1 opening victory. He scored the first and final goals of Ghana’s 4-0 thrashing of England in Game Two before going scoreless in the Black Satellites’ 2-2 draw against Uruguay. With Osei already subbed out of the Round of 16, Adiyiah hammered home the game winner in the 99th minute of a 2-1 extra time victory over South Africa.
Second Two-Goal Game
In the quarter-finals against South Korea, Adiyiah opened the scoring after eight minutes. And his second tally of the day in the 78th minute gave Ghana a 3-1 lead and they held on to win 3-2 and reach the semi-finals.
Golden Shoe Close
Adiyiah’s six goals in five matches gives him a two goal lead in the U20 World Cup scoring table ahead of Spain’s Aaron Niguez, Yonathan Del Valle and Jose Rondon of Venezuela, Vladimir Koman of Hungary and his teammate Osei. Koman and Osei are the only other players left in the tournament with at least four goals scored, meaning Adiyiah’s chances of winning the Golden Shoe as top scorer are very good. All told, Adiyiah has scored 14 goals in 14 U20 appearances.
Looking For First Title
Adiyiah would much rather help Ghana win their first ever U20 FIFA World Cup. They reached the 1993 final before losing 2-1 against Brazil and then were beaten 3-0 against Argentina in 2001.
Semi-Final Against Hungary, Brazil, Costa Rica Waiting
Ghana must first get past Hungary in the semi-final on October 13 before they would face the winner of Brazil and Costa Rica.
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