The Black Stars of Ghana are in high spirit as they take on former European champions, Portugal today, November 24,2022 at 4pm.
The opener for the Stars is expected to be a thrilling encounter at Doha’s Stadium 974, with both teams looking to get off to a good start in the 2023 World Cup games in Qatar.
Interestingly, Ghana’s first opponent for this year’s tournament was the last one they faced in a World Cup match. The four-time African champions were defeated 2-1 by Paulo Bento’s men at the Estádio Nacional Mané Garrincha in Brasilia, courtesy of a John Boye own goal and a Cristiano Ronaldo finish after goalkeeper Fatau Dauda’s mistake.
The two teams will meet again, but with a different group of players, in what is known as a repeat or revenge battle.
Black Stars coach Otto Addo, who was appointed in February following the Africa Cup of Nations disaster, is upbeat about his team’s chances in a major tournament.
“Our main focus is to win against Portugal, which will be very difficult. After that, we’ll look at the next step.”
His opposite number Fernando Santos believes Ronaldo’s club issues, which have overshadowed their tournament preparations, will have no negative impact on the team.
“We haven’t talked about it together, not even he has spoken about it. What’s important is that the players are convinced about what they need to do, of what their objectives are”, Santos clarified.
“What we want is to give the Portuguese people something to enjoy, that’s our goal. Everything else comes second”, he said.
However, Ghanaians are positive of a win against the Portuguese national team and have entreated the Black Stars to raise high the flag of Ghana and lodestar of Africa in the World stage.
Credit: 3 News