Ghana's World Cup preparations got off to the worst possible start when they suffered a 5-1 defeat to Austria in Vienna.

It is the heaviest defeat Ghana has suffered in 19 years, since the 5-0 loss to Saudi Arabia.

The result, to state the obvious, was terrible.
Somehow, the performance was worse.

Listless.
Insipid.
Coach-less and ultimately, utterly mindless.

Yet, there were flickers of hope from two players.

Prince Adu Kwabena

Kevin Danso (right) pulls Adu Kwabena's shirt in a desperate attempt to stop him

He was the reason Ghana had any chance, however slight, of scoring a goal on Friday night.

Not because he was served a ton of chances.

Mainly because he was a one-man wrecking ball, bending the Austrian defence to his will as often as he could.

The only service he received was hopeful long balls, initially for him to wrestle, and later into channels for him to run onto.

On two occasions, he used his strength and pace to shrug off Kelvin Danso before being brought down on each occasion.

The first was just outside the box, and the second was just inside the box.
Before the interval, Adu Kwabena left Danso in his wake by darting into the right channel. For a split second, it seemed he had the chance to shoot.

However, he hesitated and chose to cut back, allowing Friedl to clear.

He did not score, but on a night where Otto Addo's coaching failed spectacularly, Adu Kwabena was the reason Ghana had a chance of getting anything from the match.

Marvin Senaya

Senaya's brief introduction caused problems on the left side of the Austrian defence.

Had combined well with his teammates and was always an option to pass to when in traffic.

Late in the second half, his tenacity rewarded him with a chance when he pounced on a loose ball just outside the penalty box.

However, he rushed his effort and fired wide.

He did not score, but it is the kind of wide threat a wing-back is supposed to offer.

His willingness to overlap also allows the winger on his side to tuck inside, which gives the team an additional body to create overloads in zone 14, the half space, or in the box.

When he tucks inside, that is an additional body in the build-up for Ghana, and defensive numbers when not in position.

Of course, that brief cameo cannot be overstated, but he is a natural full-back and should be trusted against Germany.