2022 World Cup Qualifiers: Appiah, Gyan & Essien issue rallying cry to Ghana ahead of Nigeria cracker
Stephen Appiah, Asamoah Gyan and Michael Essien are fired up for Ghana’s 2022 Fifa World Cup play-off against Nigeria and have issued a rallying cry to the Black Stars squad ahead of the fixture.
Having missed the 2018 edition staged in Russia, Ghana are eyeing a return to the global football showpiece. Albeit, they must negotiate their way past the Super Eagles.
Augustine Eguavoen’s men know they have their destiny in their own hands if they are to qualify for World Cup for the fourth time in a row.
And ahead of the fixture billed for the Baba Yara Stadium in Kumasi, the former Ghana national team players have appealed to Otto Addo’s men to get the job done in a bid to achieve their World Cup ambitions.
Black Stars’ highest goalscorer and most-capped player Gyan went on social media to remind the players that the country is right behind them and reminding them what qualifying for Qatar 2022 means.
The nation is fully behind you, to make it to the World Cup after all the set backs is a game changer achievement for the nation , yourselves & your families .
— ASAMOAH GYAN (@ASAMOAH_GYAN3) March 25, 2022
Step on that pitch as wonded lions & go make history once again.
Go Ghana Black Stars Go for Gold 🇬🇭 @ghanafaofficial 🙏🏿 pic.twitter.com/AiNGMioJQu
The nation is fully behind you, to make it to the World Cup after all the setbacks is a game-changer achievement for the nation, yourselves & your families. Step on that pitch as wounded lions & go make history once again. Go Ghana Black Stars Go for Gold,” the former Udinese and Sunderland striker wrote on Twitter.
Appiah, who captained the country between 2002 and 2010, wants Addo's team to silence ‘noisy neighbours’ Nigeria.
Once again the time to add up to our long list of football achievements and silent our noisy neighbours is here again.
— Stephen Appiah (@StephenAppiah) March 24, 2022
Remember all you need to achieve this is perseverance, self-belief, dedication and team work.
Go for the Gold... For the whole nation is behind you...🇬🇭 pic.twitter.com/Mc158C5yHl
Once again the time to add up to our long list of football achievements and silence our noisy neighbours is here again. Remember all you need to achieve this is perseverance, self-belief, dedication and teamwork. Go for the Gold... For the whole nation is behind you,” the retired midfielder wrote on social media.
Not to be left out is former Chelsea star Essien who tweeted a video of his goal against Nigeria and captioned it ‘good luck Ghana Black Stars’.
Good luck @GhanaBlackstars #ComeOnBoys ⚽️🏃🏿🏃🏿🙏🏿🙏🏿🤲🏿🤲🏿 pic.twitter.com/Nam35TLPwf
— Michael Essien® (@MichaelEssien) March 25, 2022
Ghana go into this fixture off the back of their worst Africa Cup of Nations performance where they finished at the bottom of their group without a single win.
This will be the fifth time the two West African nations are playing each other in a World Cup qualifier after meeting in 1962, 1970, 1974, and 2002.
In the most recent meeting in 2002, Ghana held Amodu Shuaibu’s Nigeria to a goalless draw in Accra, only to be silenced 3-0 in Port Harcourt as the latter qualified for South Korea and Japan.