Jesurun Rak-Sakyi made his long-awaited senior debut for Ghana on Friday night, featuring in the Black Stars’ 2-0 defeat to Mexico in a pre-World Cup friendly at the Estadio Cuauhtémoc in Puebla.
The Crystal Palace winger was handed a place in the starting lineup as head coach Carlos Queiroz continued to assess his squad ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Rak-Sakyi found opportunities hard to come by in the opening half as Mexico dominated possession and dictated the tempo of the game, limiting Ghana’s attacking threat.
The 23-year-old, however, nearly enjoyed a dream debut shortly after the restart. In the 53rd minute, he unleashed a powerful strike that rattled the crossbar, coming agonisingly close to scoring his first goal for the Black Stars.
With Ghana chasing the game following Mexico’s strong display, Rak-Sakyi was withdrawn in the 66th minute and replaced by Razak Simpson.
The winger remains on the books of Crystal Palace FC and spent parts of last season on loan with Çaykur Rizespor and Stoke City FC as he continued his development.
Although Ghana ended the evening empty-handed, Rak-Sakyi’s debut provided encouraging signs of his attacking ability and offered supporters a glimpse of what he could bring to the national team ahead of the World Cup in North America.
