Football Profile - Ghana
Ghana is a proud African footballing nation and at the current World Cup, they were the only African team to put up a tantalising performance. Ghana made it into the quarterfinals where they faced a very strong Uruguay team. Over the years, the team has been getting stronger and stronger so that this year they seem to have one of the stronger teams that they have brought to the tournament.
Ghana's footballing history started out when the country gained independence from Britain in 1957. The forward looking first Prime Minister of the country at the time decided to use football to try and bring Africa together and unite the countries of the continent. This started Ghana's rise in football and brought a huge following of the sport among the people of the country. It seems football has been used in Ghana for many socio-political aspects; the first was when the first Prime Minister and the first President of the country used football to try and unite the African people. The second was the use of football to try and fight Apartheid in South Africa and finally football was used in those early days to try and put Ghana on the map and bring it to the world's attention.
Ghana played with a lot of heart to reach the quarterfinals of the World Cup where they had the backing of the entire continent of Africa behind them as they were the only African side left in the competition. It seemed the whole of Africa was hoping and praying that the one African nation left in the contest could also be the first to lift the trophy and that too on home soil. The team had been playing with skill, they looked like they had a plan going into every match, they played each match with passion and they seemed to have the desire and tenacity to pull off a major upset against the mighty Uruguay side.
So far in this World Cup, Ghana has managed to score 4 goals and has conceded 3 of them. They have made all together close to 1400 successful passes and have managed to have 15 shots on target. These statistics just show us that the Ghana team is not to be underestimated and they have a surprising ability to pull off a strong performance in their matches. Being led by stars such as Asamoah Gyan, John Mensah and Kevin-Prince Boateng, the team looked to make life h**l for the Uruguayans. The team plays with such flair and skill that they may have what it takes to blow everyone else away that stands in their path.
The deciding factor could have been the team's Serbian coach. Milovan Rajevac has rallied his troops together and given them the training and skills needed to get them into the quarterfinals. Under his leadership they look like a strong team that gels well together and has an outside chance of dethroning champions. They were severely tested in their match on Friday against Uruguay but lost. The coach having seen the way his side had been playing vowed not to change the style of play because it has suited them very well up till then.
Whatever happened on Friday in Johannesburg, the way the Ghana team played, was no less than a thrilling encounter. With the strength of Uruguay lying in the likes of Diego Forlan and Luiz Suarez, performing to their best, they were a very strong side to beat. Despite the African nation having some home side advantage and the fans cheering them on, they were no match to the South American power house. Now let us see what this impressive African footballing nation can produce for us in upcoming events.
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