Mohammed Kudus on Monday hit a brace to help the Black Stars of Ghana defeat South Korea 3-2 in their penultimate Group H game at the Education City Stadium in Qatar.

Having lost 3-2 to Portugal in their opening game of the group, Ghana needed to avoid a defeat against the Tigers of Asia in order to keep their hope of progressing to the knockout phase alive until the final match of the group.

However, two goals by Ajax attacker and another by Southampton defender Mohammed Salisu handed Ghana their first win at the ongoing 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, and the vital three points to save the day.

South Korea had the better possession of the ball in the opening minutes of the first half but the Ghanaians would soon shift the tide of the match, with two goals in the space of ten minutes handing the Black Stars a well-deserved 2-0 halftime lead.

Mohammed Salisu opened the scoring in the 24th minute after couples of South Korean defenders were unable to deal with Jordan Ayew’s cross and Salisu slotted the ball in before Jordan curled another beautiful cross and was met with Kudus’s head to double the lead for Ghana.

Gue-sung Cho almost found the back of the net nine minutes into the second half with a header which was Korea’s first shot on target in this FIFA World Cup but was saved by Ghana goalkeeper Lawrence Ati-Zigi.

Shortly after the attempt, Gue-sung Cho pulled one back for the Tigers of Asia in the 58th minute before firing another bullet header into the net to equalise for South Korea barely three minutes later as the atmosphere of Korean stands came to life.

Seven minutes later, clinical Kudus restored Ghana’s lead with a perfect shot from inside the box after Inaki Williams failed to convert Gideon Mensah’s low-range pass before Ati-Zigi saved Lee’s free-kick in an attempt to level for South Korea.

The Koreans launched last-gasp attempts to find an equaliser in the encounter but Ghana only have their goalkeeper Ati-Zigi to thank for his last minute impressive saves as the race to the round of 16 now into the final fixtures of the group.