Ghana manager Otto Addo believes his team has what it takes to defeat Uruguay in their final 2022 World Cup Group H match at Al Janoub Stadium on Friday.
The Black Stars recorded their first win in Qatar with a hard fought 3-2 victory over South Korea on Monday. The win gives them a chance of progressing to the Round of 16 at the expense of Uruguay who lost 2-0 to Portugal and have just one point from two matches.
The game against the Celeste will rekindle memories of the 2010 World Cup quarter-final clash at Soccer City where Luis Suarez was sent off in extra time for a deliberate hand ball that stopped a goal bound effort from going in. Asamoah Gyan missed the resultant penalty which denied Ghana the chance to be the first African team to make it to the semi-finals at the mundial after losing 4-2 in the penalty shootout.
Ghanaians have remained incensed with Suarez – who is seen as a villain – ever since, and see this match as a revenge mission. Addo however does not see the need for such.
“It will be very difficult but I am confident to know that we can win this game,” Addo said after the victory over South Korea.
“I’m not a guy that thinks much of revenge. It was a really, really long time ago that this incident happened and I am a strong believer if you don’t seek too much revenge on these kinds of things, sometimes you get the blessings.
“It is a different approach, a different team. They have very good strikers, lots of experience and they are a very compact, very good team. It will be very difficult just like every match.
“We said before the tournament started every game will be on edge, and we have to be at our best to beat them.”
Ghana’s five goals at this World Cup, makes them the African team with most goals. They have the joint third most goals in the tournament, behind Spain (8) and France (6). The goals have come courtesy of Mohammed Kudus (2) who was the star against the Koreans, Osman Bukari, Mohammed Salisu and Andre Ayew.
