Ghana confident of taking Brazil
Ghana confident of taking Brazil
Posted: 2009-10-15 10:29
The Fifa Under-20 World Cup in Egypt reaches a mouth-watering climax on Friday when African champions Ghana and South American champions Brazil meet in the Final at Cairo International Stadium.
Both teams rated among the pre-tournament favourites, and both have fully lived up to their billing. Ghana and Brazil each emerged from the preliminaries as group winners and went on to overcome big-name opposition in the knockout stage.
Ghana’s Black Satellites, defeated in their two previous Final appearances in 1993 and 2001, are vying to become the first-ever African winners of the Fifa U-20 World Cup.
By contrast, Brazil are four-time winners with triumphs in 1983, 1985, 1993 and 2003, and are contesting the Final for the seventh time in all.
It is the fourth Ghana-Brazil Final at a youth Fifa World Cup. The South Americans won the 1993 final 2-1. Two years later, it was the Africans’ turn to triumph by a 3-2 margin in the Under-17 World Cup. The honours at U-17 level reverted to the Brazilians in 1997, when a young man by the name of Ronaldinho played his part in a 2-1 success.
Ghana’s coach Sellas Tetteh is confident of the Black Satellites making a good showing.
“It’s a fantastic feeling when you reach the Final. We’ll do whatever it takes to win the trophy now. We’re favourites and we’re up for the challenge.
“We have played good football throughout the tournament. We have no reason to be nervous. We have the required fitness, and we have the necessary determination,” he says.
Brazil coach Rogerio Lourenco is equally up-beat.
“We certainly weren’t at our best in the semifinal against Costa Rica, but that doesn’t concern me in the slightest. Our target was to reach the Final, and we’ve hit our target.
“Ghana have played quality football all through the tournament and deserve their place in the Final. They play a very similar attacking game to us. The crowd can look forward to plenty of entertainment,” he adds.
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