AFCON 2021: Ghana Andre Ayew captain reveals he was sick before Morocco, confident of progress

• Black Stars captain Andre Ayew claims he was not feeling well ahead of the game against Morocco in the opening Group C match
• The 32-year-old insists he had to play because his teammates needed him on the pitch especially for the opener
• Ghana lost 1-0 to the Atlas Lions of Morocco but the Al Sadd forward is confident the team will progress from the Group

Captain of Ghana's senior national football team, Andre Ayew has admitted not feeling well days before the opening Group C game against Morocco at the Africa Cup of Nations.

The Al Sadd star revealed he had to force himself to feature against the North Africans because his teammates needed his leadership on the pitch.

However, that did not work as a late Sofiane Boufal goal sunk the Black Stars at the Ahmadou Ahidjo Stadium in Cameroon. And despite the defeat, Ayew in a post match interview stated how confident he is the team will qualify to the next round.

Ghana defender Jonathan Mensah admits lessons have been learnt from Algeria defeat

Football

"I have not been feeling well for the past two days, I wanted to play, my colleagues wanted me on the pitch and I did everything because I have been waiting for this for 3 years now, we lost and I was unlucky to add a cut on my eye to it," Ayew said after the game.

“I think we can get through and we will get through cos it is our duty and we will make sure we qualify to the next stage. We lost the first game in 2010, 2015 but we pulled through. We were not expecting this start but we will make it.”

The Black Stars will next face Gabon, who defeated debutants Comoros Island 1-0 with star men, Pierre Emerick Aubamayeng and Mario Lemina.

Both are expected to return for Friday's game if they test negative for COVID-19.

Meanwhile, Ghana's Black Stars will have the arduous task of defeating the Panthers before a final group C showdown against Comoros Island next Tuesday.

AFCON 2021: Ghana coach Milovan Rajevac optimistic ahead of opener against Morocco

Football

Ghanaians vent their spleen at Black Stars after Morocco defeat

Earlier, SportsBrief.com reported that, fans of the senior national team, the Black Stars, have been left fuming after a lackadaisical performance against Morocco in the opening group C game at AFCON 2021.

Sofiane Boufal's 83rd minute strike sunk the Black Stars of Ghana at the Ahmadou Ahidjo stadium in Cameroon.

Supporters of the Black Stars vented their frustrations of Social Media, with some describing the performance as depressing.