Injured Ghana midfielder Michael Essien has explained his emotionless reaction to Andre Dede Ayew's goal at last month's Africa Cup of Nations in Angola.
The Chelsea ace was captured on camera fiddling with his mobile phone after Andre Ayew had headed in a goal against Burkina Faso in a must win Group B match. Essien sat out that game after picking up a knee injury in training a day before the match which has still sidelined him.
He was severely criticised by Ghanaian fans who saw his head down and busy on his mobile phone from the stands while his teammates reacted to the goal. But the 27-year-old on his blog on the Chelsea website explained why he did not celebrate the goal that sent Ghana through to the quarter-finals of the tournament.
"I didn't realise until I got to England that Ghanaians were upset that I didn't cheer the goal. I got a couple of text messages from friends who were not watching the game asking how it was going. I was texting back that it was 0 - 0. The next thing I knew, they guys were celebrating the goal. My next reaction was to tell my friends that we had scored and so I got back to texting. The main thing is we won the game."
Essien who has been sidelined since January, expressed his desire to make a quick return to the pitch. "I will be back as soon as I can. I hate being on the sidelines but at the same time I need to be patient and heal properly. Once the medical team give me the all clear you will see me doing my thing on the pitch." He has suffered a setback in his rehabilitation and will now miss the six week recovery deadline.
Source: Ghanasoccernet.com
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