The mood is certainly bright in the Ghana camp at Korea 2007.
The players and coaching staff are relaxed, smiling faces abound
and you can almost feel the confidence in the air. And with good
reason - the Black Starlets got off to a perfect start at the FIFA
U-17 World Cup.
In their 4-1 win over Trinidad and Tobago in their opening
Group F match, the African youngsters showed just what they were
capable of, particularly in attack.
The match was a pleasure to watch, with Ghana creating any
number of chances. Ransford Osei and Sadick Adams combined
particularly well, much to the delight of the enthusiastic crowd at
the Cheonan Sports Complex, who warmly applauded the pair's
three-goal haul.
"We put in a good performance against a strong
team," said Osei, scorer of a brace, to
FIFA.com. "This win has given us a lot of
confidence. We're looking particularly good in
attack."
The Ghanaians will be hoping to keep the momentum going into
their second match, against Germany on Thursday. Another win will
see them into the last 16 of the tournament and ready to build on
their third place finish at this year's CAF African U-17
Championship.
Their ambitions are clear: "We want to and need to win
this match to make it into the next round," said coach Sellas
Tetteh Teivi to
FIFA.com. "Germany are very strong opponents
and they scored three times in 90 minutes against Colombia, which
shows what they're capable of. But we've prepared well and
we're ready to meet the challenge."
Respect your opponents, therefore, but do not fear them, is what
the coach has been drilling into his players - a concept midfielder
and captain Paul Addo has clearly taken on board: "We won our
first match, so we can be very confident ahead of the next
one."
Forward Adams, meanwhile, feels that only a win would be good
enough against their European opponents. "The Germans have a
very strong team, but we want to show that we've got what it
takes," he said.
Against Trinidad and Tobago, the Black Starlets got a great
reception from the fans for their goals and moves, and also for
their fancy celebrations. So, do the players practise them in
training? "No, not at all," smiles Adams. "We're
just happy after every goal we score, and we celebrate them
spontaneously."
And should they bag another three points on Thursday, then
the happy-go-lucky young Ghanaians will no doubt be treating the
fans to more exotic dance moves.