Stars' qualification to AFCON semi-final boosts fans' confidence

Some football fans and analysts in Kumasi have expressed optimism about the Senior National Team, the Black Stars, emerging as champions in the on-going African Cup of Nations (AFCON) tournament in South Africa. Ghana on Sunday edged out Cape Verde 2-0 to advance to the semi-final, a feat that puts the nation in pole position to annex her fifth trophy which had been elusive since 1982. Speaking to the GNA Sports in Kumasi, the jubilant fans praised the team for its tenacity and unity of purpose, determination and tactical discipline. Suleman Moyideen, a student of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), said the Stars had so far shown glimpses of "a well-focused side that knows what is at stake". He said it was incumbent on the team to work harder in all departments of the game to help the Stars to achieve its target. The technical team, he said, should also work on the psyche of the players to keep them in shape to overcome inferiority complex, complacency and loss of concentration. Mr. Dennis Agyarko, a football analyst, urged Coach Kwasi Appiah to get his tactics right in subsequent matches in order to subdue his opponents. "I expect the technical team to map up an effective strategy to tighten the defence to reduce the team's susceptibility to conceding cheap goals as transpired in our matches against DR Congo and Mali", he told the GNA Sports. Abena Oduro Kwarteng, a member of the Millennium Supporters Union, appealed to the players to work-out on their penalty shoot-out techniques for their own benefit. The Black Stars had for four consecutive times since 2008 made it to the semi-final in the AFCON competition but failed to win the trophy.