Black Stars dominated possession but struggled to create clear-cut chances against a defensive-minded Palancas Negras side.
Ghana started brightly with Mohammed Kudus being their standout player in the first half. He attempted shots from range and took on defenders, but his efforts lacked the power to beat Angola’s shot-stopper Adilson Cipriano Da Cruz.
Angola remained calm and composed, building up from the back without any pressure. Although they had a few half-chances, they were content with earning a point, as evidenced by their time-wasting antics in the second half.
Hughton was forced to make several changes in the second half, taking off underwhelming attackers Jordan Ayew and Inaki Williams and replacing them with Joseph Paintsil and Antoine Semenyo, respectively.
Semenyo’s inclusion proved to be the match-winner as he scored the only goal of the game in the 96th minute, pouncing on a scrappy ball inside the penalty box. The London-born striker’s second goal for Ghana.
Black Stars are now three points clear at the top of their qualifying group and another win against Angola on Monday in Luanda will seal their qualification to next year’s tournament in Ivory Coast.
The win is a positive start for Hughton, but he knows that there is still work to be done to get Ghana to become serial winners and end their trophy drought.