Black Stars wrap up final training with full squad ahead of South Africa Afcon clash as GFA boss delivers strong verdict
Black Stars coach Charles Akonnor trained with a full house as the team continued with preparations for the AFCON doubleheader against South Africa and Sao Tome.
Six foreign-based players who arrived on Monday night from their base in Europe, Baba Abdul Rahman, Mohammed Kudus, Osman Bukari, Nicholas Opoku, Emmanuel Lomotey and Kwasi Okyere Wriedt were involved in the team’s training on Tuesday morning.
Akonnor took the players through tactics and conditioning in a two-hour session as the team prepares to depart to Johannesburg South Africa for the game on Thursday.
The Ghana boss has named a 26-man squad for the trip without the Ayew brothers and Thomas Partey due to COVID-19 restrictions and quarantine regulations in-and out of England.
The three key players are expected to join the team for the Sao Tome game in Accra.
Ghana will play the Bafana Bafana on Thursday in Johannesburg before they welcome Sao Tome and Principe to the Accra Sports Stadium four days later.
Meanwhile, GFA president fired a strong verdict on Stars game against South African, urging his country to overcome Molefi Ntseki’s side.
Ghana had its early qualification delayed after losing by a lone goal to Sudan in the qualifiers last year November in Khartoum. Ghana and South Africa are currently levelled up on 9 points in Group C of the qualifiers.
A win against South Africa will see the Black Stars take a three-point lead on the table and also ensure automatic qualification. Speaking at the team’s final training session in Accra before they depart to Johannesburg on Tuesday night, Kurt Okraku said,
“We have two more games in front of us and from these two games, we have to be part of the best-assembled on the African continent”.
“From the two games, we have to qualify but qualification starts from the first game in South Africa and for that reason, we have been preparing for the past four weeks”.
“When we match out of the tunnel to face South Africa let’s all have one thing in mind that qualification. Whatever it takes for us to come out with the right results we have to make that necessary effort.
He continued; “We wholly believe in the technical team and your quality which is why you are here. We believe that you have what it takes to take Ghana to the promise land”.
The Black Stars defeated the Bafana Bafana in the first leg at the Cape Coast Sports Stadium thanks to strikes from Ajax midfielder Mohammed Kudus and Arsenal aceThomas Partey that handed the West African country a comfortable 2-0 victory.
