Republic of Ghana
Ghana Football Association (GFA)
1957
Coach: Milovan Rajevac
Confederation: CAF
FIFA Ranking : 27
Previous Appearances: 1 (2006)
Fixtures
Ghana v Serbia 13 June; Pretoria
Ghana v Australia 19 June; Rustenburg
Ghana v South Korea 23 June; Johannesburg
Background
This is the second consecutive appearance for the West African nation. Ghana had made its debut at the World Cup finals in Germany in 2006. Their first performance on the big stage was highly impressive and was the only African country to make it to the Round of 16. After a disappointing 2-0 loss to Italy in the first match, Ghana revived to pummel Czech Republic 2-0 and then subdue the USA with a 2-1 victory. It was as if the entire continent of Africa backed them to go further ahead, but the novices could not get past the veterans of Brazil as the five time champions swamped them 3-0
The road to the 2010 World Cup finals
20 teams including Ghana advanced to the Third Qualifying Round of the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations which also included the 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification. Ghana was among the top seeds and was placed in Group D with Benin, Mali, and Sudan. The others were easy meat for the Black Stars and they did not concede a single goal in the first four games. Ghana drew with Mali in the last game and grabbed an automatic place in the 2010 FIFA World Cup leading the group with 13 points.
Strengths
The Black Stars have a star-studded midfield and functions as the supply centre to the wings and the forwards.
Weaknesses
The team seems to depend too much on its celebrated midfield. Ghana lacks strikers who can create chances and score. The left back position continues to be a weak link in the defence line.
The Coach
The 55-year-old Milovan Rajevac took over the team from Frenchman Claude Le Roy August 2008. The Serbian was in charge of FK Borak through the UEFA Cup qualifiers before coming to Ghana. He was also the manager of the high profile Serbian club Red Star Belgrade. The last minute injury to Michael Essien will certainly affect his game plan.
Star Men
Matthew Amoah;
Absence of Essien adds responsibility to Amoah, the fast paced striker who scored three goals in three consecutive qualifiers for Ghana.
Richard Kingson (Wigan Athletic);
The number one goalkeeper for Ghana, Kingson has been very consistent. He is regarded to have a classic goal keeping style. Kingson made quite a few deadly saves at the 2006 World Cup. He is in fine nick and has been splendid in the qualifiers. He did not concede a single goal in the first four matches. Ghana’s progress at South Africa will to a great extent depend on Kingson’s performance under the bar.
Sulley Muntari (Inter);
Muntari plays both as a midfielder and as a left winger. He has been a regular feature for the Ghana senior team, notwithstanding his recurring confrontations with the Ghana Football Association. Muntari’s left-footed pile-drivers are often very effective in surprising the opposition. He also has a knack to make the best use of even the slightest openings.
André Ayew;
Ayew brought glory to Ghana as the captain of the U-20 team that won the Under 20 World Cup at Cairo in October 2009, beating Brazil in the final. The World Cup in South Africa will be a great opportunity for him to propel the Black Stars to as yet unattained heights.
Best Footballing Moment
It was at the 2006 FIFA World Cup when Asamoah Gyan scored the first World Cup goal ever for Ghana, against the Czech Republic. It was also the fastest goal of the tournament, just after 68 seconds from the kick off.
World Cup Objective
In the last World Cup, Ghana was the only African nation to break into the last sixteen. This time the minimum objective will be to reach the last eight.
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