The poor display by the Black Stars at the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) was a wake-up call, according to Ghana captain Andre Ayew.
For the first time in its history, Ghana was eliminated at the group stage of the event played in Cameroon earlier this year for the first time in 16 years.
According to Andre Ayew, the team’s performance in the AFCON was what motivated the Black Stars to beat Nigeria to the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
The Al Sadd star admits that it was challenging to serve as captain during the legendary defeat in Cameroon.
“Being in the team for a very long time and today being the leader of the squad, looking back at what happened in Cameroon was very difficult for me,” he told Graphic Sports.
“But maybe it was supposed to happen due to certain situations, it was supposed to happen to teach us certain things we were not doing. I think it was a wake-up call for the World Cup playoffs which was coming up in March, so we had to be ready.”
Speaking on the process leading to Ghana edging Nigeria to qualify for the World Cup, Ayew said, “personally, I knew what was supposed to be done and took advice from people, including some senior former players, on things to do to qualify.
“And honestly, since we qualified for the World Cup a lot of things have changed, the confidence and belief are back; now we just have to get stability and a lot of games together, and I think we can make a good impression in this World Cup.”
Source; www.ghgossip.com
