Asamoah Gyan
Injured Black Stars captain Asamoah Gyan has tagged Egypt-Ghana crunch World Cup qualifier as do or die.
Speaking from his Dubai base on Tuesday, Gyan believes in the team lies a great quality to surmount the Alexandria challenge.
And bemoaning his absence due to a slight injury, the skipper admitted how the home side stand as favourites considering the home fans advantage but like proverbial ‘uncertainties in football’, Ghana cannot be underestimated.
To the Al-Ahly hitman, the idea of picking a point or the maximum at stake which breathes life into Ghana’s World Cup campaign has been the motivation ahead of the game on Sunday.
The team since early this week has pitched camp in Dubai, and as duty calls, Gyan has been with them and has diligently executed his leadership role with perfection.
He told GFA spokesman in an interview that “Good to see my colleagues train, I came here to support the team and give them my blessing before they leave for the game, because I live in Dubai.”
Responding to how he reacted to his injury, he said “I felt bad because this is one of the important games in the qualifiers, I was prepared mentally, but you know the soul is willing but the body is weak.”
“Other strikers can also do something for Ghana, I believe anybody given the chance can deliver for the nation. They should stay focused and confident .We have got quality, we don’t depend on one person, we play as a team.”
“Yea, we can teach them a lesson, because I think this game is much crucial, we just have to go for the win, nothing else because if we don’t, it’s going to affect our qualification to the World Cup.”
Gyan added that “I think it’s a do or die affair. It’s going to be a difficult game, we have to be strong mentally, stay focused, contain the pressure and do our normal thing and everything would be fine.”
The Black Stars will play as guests of the Pharaohs this Sunday in Alexandria, Egypt in their World Cup qualifier. Ghana posted a 7-3 aggregate score when the two last met for the Brazil 2014 World Cup.
Ghana drew o-o with Uganda in their opening World Cup game in Tamale few weeks ago.
By Kofi Owusu Aduonum