Inaki Williams scores on return from Africa Cup to help Athletic beat Barcelona in Copa

by Wisdom K.E Hammond · January 25, 2024

Inaki Williams, after returning from Ghana’s early elimination in the Africa Cup of Nations, delivered a stunning performance for his club, Athletic Club, as he scored to edge past Barcelona by 4-2 in the Copa del Rey on Wednesday, January 24, 2024.

So far the , Athletic Club striker has virtually had a goal drought in in the Ghanaian team haven scored just one goal for the Black Stars. During Ghana’s poor showing at the 2023 AFCON, he had less to offer and also committed blunders, one of which led to a free goal scored by Egypt in their 2-2 drawn game with Ghana in the second group B encounter.

Inaki immediately left all the AFCON behind as he looked to continue his good performance with his club side, although his time with the Black Stars team hasn’t been fruitful enough. His time with the Black Stars has been a bittersweet one, as he has yet to find his full strength with the team.

On Wednesday night, Inaki started from the bench with a key focus on monitoring play before coming on in the late minutes of play to give his side some confidence moving forward. Inaki came on in the 59th minute to replace Adu Ares.

He made a big impact after coming on, which saw him score in 105 minutes of play to give his side a 3-2 lead heading into the final minutes. Inaki, after that brilliant goal, didn’t leave a foot wrong, as he assisted his brother Nico to make it 4:2 to secure the victory.

READ: Sack Chris Hugton, Black Stars Coach After AFCON Exit

Inaki, after that classical performance, has now registered nine goals in all competitions for his club side.

However, the big question remains why he is not scoring for Ghana. Many pundits have attributed it to the quality of play and ball offered him during matches for Ghana. Others have also argued that, the Ghana Black Stars team set up and formations have failed to tap into his quality hence the seemingly poor performance he puts up when playing for the Black Stars.