World Cup 2022: eliminated, Ghanaians do not seek excuses
Ghanaian Mohammed Kudus, on the ground, against Uruguay, in the 2022 World Cup. REUTERS - JOHN SIBLEY
Text by: David Kalfa Follow
3 mins
Released in the first round of the 2022 World Cup, the Ghanaians did not seek excuses after their fatal 2-0 defeat against Uruguay on December 2 in Al Wakrah.
If they regret the missed penalty by their captain André Ayew, they do not blame the midfielder.
And the Black Stars ensure that the elimination against the Uruguayans, in the quarter-finals of the 2010 World Cup, did not weigh psychologically on their performance tonight.
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From our Special Envoy in Doha,
The Ghanaians preferred to discreetly leave the Al Janoub Stadium in Al Wakrah.
They did not have the heart to talk about
their 2-0 defeat against Uruguay
and their elimination in the first round of the
2022 World Cup
on December 2.
“
About 90% of the players were playing their first World Cup
, assures their new star,
Mohammed Kudus
.
It's really going to toughen us up
."
The playmaker was one of three Black Stars named to speak to the press, along with defender Daniel Amartey and goalkeeper Lawrence Ati Zigi.
"
I think we weren't very lucky
," sighs the latter.
We had a penalty and we missed it.
Then it turned against us.
It was really the bad luck and the little details that made the difference
”.
“André is a great leader and a great captain”
André Ayew actually had the opportunity to open the scoring.
But his strike was too soft to surprise the opposing goalkeeper, Sergio Rochet.
“
The easiest thing would be to point the finger at one of us
, warns Kudus, however, who flies to the aid of his eldest.
In the second half, I also had goalscoring opportunities that I could have converted.
We all had the opportunity to weigh in on this meeting.
So I don't think the penalty affected the final result.
André is a super leader and a super captain.
After missing the penalty, he got back into the game and devoted himself to the team like all of us
”.
To (re) read ► 2022 World Cup: Ghana-Uruguay, remember the summer of 2010…
Ayew, the last survivor of Ghana-Uruguay of the 2010 World Cup, was he overtaken by the traumatic memory of this match, when shooting?
“
This fear is a thing of the past
, assures Amartey.
It was a new World Cup and I think we had fun
”.
Ati Zigi agrees: “
It was twelve years ago and it's not something we had in our heads.
We were really focused on this game against the Uruguayans.
»
South Americans who were also eliminated from the tournament, for lack of having imposed themselves more widely against the Black Stars.
“
Frankly, it does not change anything
, sweeps Amartey.
We had come to win, to pass.
The score changed in the other
game [South Korea won 2-1 against Portugal, Editor's note]
and Uruguay wanted to score another goal.
But we stopped them
."
Ghanaians and Uruguayans then left the competition together.
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