These are our ratings for Black Stars players who featured against Cape Verde this afternoon. 1. Fatau Dauda: He was easily Ghana’s best player on the day. He pulled off save after brilliant save to keep the Blue Sharks at bay and at times the quality of goalkeeping was world class. If any performance will cement his place in the Black Stars starting lineup, this was it. No wonder he was officially voted the game’s Most Valuable Player (MVP). (9/10) 2. John Paintsil: He was as usual solid but unspectacular. He came under pressure in spells during the game but played his part in ensuring that the Black Stars finished the game with another clean sheet. Performed his role without any fuss. (7/10) 3. Harrison Afful: He was probably Ghana’s best player after Dauda. He won tackle after tackle and his enthusiasm got him booked, but he was rarely beaten in a one-on-one situation. Clearly his best game of the 2013 African Nations Cup. (8/10) 4. John Boye: He was his usual solid self at the heart of defence and linked up very well with Isaac Vorsah. He covered well when Paintsil went on the attack. (7/10) 5. Isaac Vorsah: He returned to his calm self against Cape Verde and formed a good defensive duo with Boye. He also regularly passed the ball out of defence, which sometimes kick-started Ghana’s attacks. (7/10) 6. Rabiu Mohammed: He had another solid game in front of the back four. Even though he was booked, he played a major role in stemming the incessant Cape Verde attacks and played his part in keeping the back door shut. It will be hard to see Anthony Annan displacing him on the evidence of his perfomances so far. (7.5/10) 7. Emmanuel Agyemang Badu: He acted as the metronome of the team as usual and tracked back to assist Mohammed when necessary. He also found time to support the attack but was not as influential as the previous games because of the threat Cape Verde posed. (7/10) 8. Albert Adomah: He had his toughest outing for the Black Stars so far. He wasn’t able to get as many crosses as usual, even though he worked hard and tracked back to assist Paintsil in defensive duties. He also switched roles with Christian Atsu. Not his best game, but the appetite for work was clearly there. (6.5/10) 9. Kwadwo Asamoah: He had to help out in defensive duties, which he did to perfection and at times moved deep so Agyemang Badu could bomb forward. He sacrificed his attacking talents for the team to restrict the Cape Verde wave of attacks and on a tactical front, played his role well, even if it meant limited supply to Asamoah Gyan up front. (7/10) 10. Christian Atsu: He tried hard to prise open the Cape Verde defence but found the going tough at times. He showed that he has the appetite for hard work as he also tracked back to help out in defensive duties, but still showed some flashes of brilliance. In a game that was won ugly, he played his part. (6.5/10) 11. Asamoah Gyan: Even though he did not score, Gyan’s hold up play was good enough to trouble the Blue Sharks and indeed he was fouled for the penalty that led to Ghana’s first goal. He remains important to the team whether he scores or not. (7/10) 12. Mubarak Wakaso: He replaced Albert Adomah after the break and soon after, he assumed responsibility by coolly dispatching the penalty to claim Ghana’s first goal. He also took part in Ghana’s efforts at repelling attacks and after missing a gilt edged opportunity, he was put through in a counter attack and showed remarkable composure in scoring to finish Cape Verde off. He was however booked. (7.5/10) 13. Solomon Asante: He replaced Christian Atsu and immediately provided an outlet on the right for Ghana once again. His close control and skills troubled the Blue Sharks and his efforts also protected Paintsil. (6.5/10) 14. Derek Boateng: He came on for Mohammed and set about closing out the game which he did well with the little time that he was on. (6/10)