‘We believe in ourselves’ — Jordan Ayew ahead of England Encounter
Black Stars captain Jordan Ayew has urged his teammates to remain focused and build on their dramatic opening victory over Panama as Ghana prepares for the crucial FIFA World Cup Group L clash against England.
Fresh from Ghana’s hard-fought 1-0 win over Panama on Wednesday, secured through Caleb Yirenkyi’s stoppage-time strike, Ayew said the team had shown character, resilience and togetherness, qualities he believes will be crucial against one of the tournament favourites.
The skipper acknowledged that the Black Stars endured a difficult opening half but credited the players for their improved performance after the break.
“The first half didn’t go as planned, but we were patient. They kept the ball well and we soaked up the pressure. We looked more composed and direct. In the second half a lot changed, we grew in confidence and kept possession much better,” he said.
The victory handed Ghana a valuable three points in a tightly contested group and revived confidence within the camp after a challenging build-up to the tournament.
Ayew praised the impact of the substitutes and the collective effort that eventually yielded the winning goal deep into injury time.
“The substitutions helped because we knew we had to show our strength. The energy level was very high. We played better, we were more aggressive, we fought together as a team and scored the winning goal in the dying minutes. That’s all that matters,” he stated.
The Black Stars demonstrated considerable resilience during the encounter, overcoming the absence of deputy captain Thomas Partey, who missed the game because of visa complications, as well as the injury-enforced withdrawal of first-choice goalkeeper Lawrence Ati-Zigi at half-time.
Despite those setbacks, Ghana remained disciplined and patient before snatching victory in the closing moments.
