Ghana, the Black Stars
When Greece won the European Championship in 2004, all minnows in world football were given fresh hopes that in today’s international competitions, anything is possible. 50th ranked Ghana is one such team who are now dreaming of World Cup glory.
Ghana qualified with some comfort from the African Group 2, finishing 5 points clear of their nearest rivals Congo (Zaire) and South Africa. Others in the group were Burkina Faso, Cape Verde and Uganda. After losing their opening group match 0-1 in Burkina Faso, Ghana stepped up a gear and romped through the remaining matches, winning 6 and drawing 3. Earlier they had brushed aside Somalia in the preliminary round with ease.
In the finals, Ghana, or the Black Stars, have been drawn with Italy, USA and the Czech Republic, making their task of qualifying for the next round extremely difficult in theory. However, Serbian Ratomir Dujkovic, who took over as coach midway into the qualification campaign, has brought an element of discipline into this hugely talented squad of players. The usual West African flair and flamboyance, coupled with European codes of work ethics could be most dangerous for Ghana’s opponents. Moreover, of all the debutants in this World Cup, Ghana have the best credentials, having already won the African Nations’ Cup 4 times, and the FIFA Under 17 World Championship twice.
Chelsea’s Michael Essien is Ghana’s most well known player, but Ghana is far from a one-man team. Captain Stephen Appiah of Turkish side Fenerbahce adds weight to the midfield, along with Essien and Suley Muntari of Udinese. He has a lot of experience in Italian Serie A. In attack Asamoah Gyan of Moscow Dinamo and Matthew Amoah of Dortmund have top class European experience. The tower in defence is veteran Samuel Kuffour of Roma. In Sammy Adjei, they have one of Africa’s best goalkeepers. However, there are several other players of immense potential who are blossoming under Dujkovic to make Ghana the most formidable African team in this year’s Cup.
Perhaps the Black Stars of Ghana will carry on the traditions of other West African Cup heroes like Nigeria, Cameroon and Senegal. Whatever the results, they could well become one of the most entertaining teams of this World Cup.
Ghana qualified with some comfort from the African Group 2, finishing 5 points clear of their nearest rivals Congo (Zaire) and South Africa. Others in the group were Burkina Faso, Cape Verde and Uganda. After losing their opening group match 0-1 in Burkina Faso, Ghana stepped up a gear and romped through the remaining matches, winning 6 and drawing 3. Earlier they had brushed aside Somalia in the preliminary round with ease.
In the finals, Ghana, or the Black Stars, have been drawn with Italy, USA and the Czech Republic, making their task of qualifying for the next round extremely difficult in theory. However, Serbian Ratomir Dujkovic, who took over as coach midway into the qualification campaign, has brought an element of discipline into this hugely talented squad of players. The usual West African flair and flamboyance, coupled with European codes of work ethics could be most dangerous for Ghana’s opponents. Moreover, of all the debutants in this World Cup, Ghana have the best credentials, having already won the African Nations’ Cup 4 times, and the FIFA Under 17 World Championship twice.
Chelsea’s Michael Essien is Ghana’s most well known player, but Ghana is far from a one-man team. Captain Stephen Appiah of Turkish side Fenerbahce adds weight to the midfield, along with Essien and Suley Muntari of Udinese. He has a lot of experience in Italian Serie A. In attack Asamoah Gyan of Moscow Dinamo and Matthew Amoah of Dortmund have top class European experience. The tower in defence is veteran Samuel Kuffour of Roma. In Sammy Adjei, they have one of Africa’s best goalkeepers. However, there are several other players of immense potential who are blossoming under Dujkovic to make Ghana the most formidable African team in this year’s Cup.
Perhaps the Black Stars of Ghana will carry on the traditions of other West African Cup heroes like Nigeria, Cameroon and Senegal. Whatever the results, they could well become one of the most entertaining teams of this World Cup.
posted by Haridaspal | 2:24 pm
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