Ghana's Black Stars face a battle of nerves tomorrow before a partisan home crowd as they play host to Angola in the quarter-finals of the ongoing African Cup of Nations tournament in one of the most anticipated matches of the knockout stages.
Playing host teams at such tournaments has never been an easy affair and for the injury-ravaged Black Stars, the match in Luanda is perhaps their biggest test yet, as the Palancas Negras will have the benefit of a partisan home crowd of about 50,000, referred to in football parlance as the “12th man”.
Such is the enormity of the task facing Coach Milovan Rajevac and his predominantly youthful team that they will need to employ smart tactics and display an unyielding spirit to stop the Angolans.
Against all odds, the young Ghana team showed resilience and overcame a rugged Burkina Faso side 1-0 in a must-win game to reach the quarter-final stage. It was not a command performance from Ghana but young players such as Andre Ayew, Emmanuel Agyemang-Badu, Samuel Inkoom and Kwadwo Asamoah played with passion and repaid the confidence reposed in them by Coach Rajevac, particularly in the face of an unusually disappointing performance by their more established seniors.
Tomorrow's match has a lot at stake and will be no easier than Ghana's two previous matches against Cote d'Ivoire and Burkina Faso.
Despite the advantage of playing on home soil, Angola's performance has been all but vintage. And in their build-up to tomorrow's clash with Ghana, there is a feeling of nervousness and fear among Angolans, who have resorted to arm-twisting tactics in a bid to frustrate the Black Stars and their handful of supporters.
Reports of the use of surveillance cameras at Ghana's hotel and the assault by the Angolan police of an accredited Ghanaian journalist and the famous pot-carrying supporter, Samuel Aggrey, alias "Obuor", only attest to desperation on the part of the host and should raise red flags about a possible hostile reception that awaits the Black Stars tomorrow.
On the evidence of Ghana's last performance, there is growing confidence among Ghanaians that the team is improving match after match and the expected return of injured midfield strongman Anthony Annan will strengthen the side to step up their game against a talented home side under pressure to succeed.
Coach Rajevac and his charges know too well the task awaiting them tomorrow after the Stars held the Angolans to a scoreless draw in a friendly match in Luanda on November 18, a perfect dress rehearsal for tomorrow’s match.
However, there are pride and a place in the semi-finals at stake in tomorrow's fixture and Angolans are leaving nothing to chance, including an incentive package of a whopping $1 million to their players for a win over Ghana.
Ghana may not match the financial inducement offered by oil-rich Angola but the Black Stars seem determined to end the host nation’s party and reach the last four as Ghana aims to end a 28-year Nations Cup drought.
Having galvanised the entire country behind them after a shaky start, the Black Stars cannot afford to stumble over the Angolan hurdle.
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