Thomas Partey scored his first goal for over a year on Saturday, netting for Ghana against Zimbabwe in a World Cup qualifier.

Ghana are in a battle for the top spot in Group G of the CAF World Cup qualifiers, having lost to South Africa in the previous international break.

Only one team from each group progresses to the next stage, so Ghana really can’t afford any further slip-ups. They need to win every remaining game to ensure there’s no chance they miss out.

One boost to Ghana in the October break is that they have Thomas Partey back. The Arsenal midfielder missed the September matches through the ankle injury that forced him out of the start of the Premier League campaign.

Partey’s presence turned out to be vital, as he helped them retake the lead for 2-1 in the 66th minute. He won the ball by intercepting a poorly-disguised pass, cut inside a defender, and finished low and to the near post.

Ghana won the match 3-1 to leave them one point behind South Africa with three games to play. You can watch the goal here from 1:10.

The news had some Arsenal fans rolling their eyes. Partey’s last goal for club or country came in an Atletico Madrid shirt in July 2020, and he’s been struggling to even hit the target lately.

After well over a year, Partey finally has his first goal since joining Arsenal – and it’s in a Ghana shirt. We can only hope he transfers this newfound goalscoring form back to his club.

Before that, Ghana have to play the reverse fixture away to Zimbabwe on Tuesday.