Ghana vs. Nigeria: Suspended Black Stars Captain finishes the season as top scorer

Ghana forward Andre Ayew finished his first league campaign with Qatari giants Al Sadd as the club's top scorer.

The Ghana captain who is suspended for the must-win Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup between the Stars and Super Eagles of Nigeria, starred as the Wolves went on an unbeaten run to successfully defend their title, winning 21 games and drawing just one.

Andre Ayew netted 15 goals to lead his side to the Qatari League triumph, with forward Akram Akif scoring 14 goals while Algeria's Baghdad Bounedjah netted 13 goals.

The former Marseille man has also been instrumental to his side's progress to the semi-finals of the Emir Cup.

Andre Ayew joined Al Sadd in the summer transfer window after leaving the English Championship side Swansea City, where he was the top scorer in his final two seasons.

Al Sadd manager Javi Garcia congratulated the Ghanaian and his teammates for their latest achievement.

“I congratulate all the players in the team for this victory. We achieved something very special, and we managed to finish the league championship without any loss and with a new record," he told the club's website.

“We achieved a new record for the team, and I congratulate the previous coaching staff and all the team members for achieving this difficult and remarkable number.

 “It was not easy at all. Everyone knows that we will play an important match in two days and we have to now work on the recovery of the players to be ready for the next match.”

The Black Stars will miss Ayew for the playoffs of the World Cup qualifier against Nigeria after picking a red card in Ghana's final game at the Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon. His absence will be a huge blow for the Black Stars, who are also without striker Benjamin Tetteh.