Despite failing to earn a victory on Friday in front of his vociferous fans in Kumasi, Ghana captain Thomas Partey is confident the black stars will beat the Super Eagles for the ticket to the World Cup on Tuesday in Abuja. This despite the fact that the last time Ghana won on Nigerian soil was in 1973.
While a draw will earn the Black Stars one of the continent’s World Cup tickets, Partey insists his side will be looking for victory when the two teams meet in the second leg of their FIFA World Cup qualifier. 2022 in Abuja, on Tuesday.
The Arsenal midfielder made the claim while reacting to Ghana’s 0-0 World Cup playoff first leg draw against Nigeria on Friday.
Speaking to reporters during his post-match press conference, Partey said: “We know we should have won this game against Nigeria, but a draw is not bad. However, I know that our fans are disappointed in us, as we had promised them victory.
“However, it’s not over until it’s over and we promise all Ghanaians that we will go for the win in Abuja on Tuesday.”
Ghana had a disappointing exit at the last African Cup of Nations in Cameroon and was also absent from the last edition of the FIFA World Cup in Russia.
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The Black Stars are understandably desperate to make peace with World Cup qualification, and like Partey, Ghana goalkeeper Richard Ofori also believes the Black Stars are still on course to make it to the World Cup.
Ofori is similarly optimistic about a win on Tuesday in Abuja and gave his teammates a passing grade for their performance on Friday night in Kumasi.
“The guys did well, this is basically a new team, a lot has changed when you compare AFCON’s performance to tonight, hopefully we’ll win the second leg,” said Ofori, who was on the bench.
While Ghana and Nigeria are fierce rivals, the Black Stars have the advantage in both overall head-to-head records and recent meetings, but their last away win over Nigeria was 49 years ago.