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Cote d'Ivoire's Didier Drogba waves at the end of a 2010 World Cup Group G soccer match against DPRK at Mbombela stadium in Nelspruit June 25, 2010. [Agencies] |
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Cote d'Ivoire's Salomon Kalou (L) scores a goal past DPRK's goalkeeper Ri Myong-guk during a 2010 World Cup Group G soccer match at Mbombela stadium in Nelspruit June 25, 2010. [Agencies] |
Ghana Africa's hope
As the only remaining African team in the continent's first World Cup, Ghana carry the hopes of millions on their shoulders against the United States in Rustenburg later on Saturday.
The failure of Africa's other five teams has prompted soul-searching around the continent and sucked some of the local joy and passion out of the tournament.
Cote d'Ivoire were the latest African team to fail. Their talented players easily beat DPRK 3-0 on Friday but that was not enough to prevent them coming third in Group G.
Kalusha Bwalya, a former African footballer of the year and president of Zambia's football association, said the continent's European-based players were failing to reproduce their club form when pulling on the national shirts.
"Maybe we're not playing the same 100 percent we do in our clubs because we're earning our bread and butter there," he said. "The African player has to be able to come home and deliver and I think this (world cup) is a wake up call for us."
Though in the last 16, Ghana have hardly lit up the World Cup, scoring just two goals and those from penalties. They will need to find some better form to defeat a strong, passionate and well-organised US team in Saturday's second match.
A win for Ghana would match the feat of Cameroon and Senegal who reached the quarter-finals in 1990 and 2002 respectively in the best performances by an African side in the World Cup.
