2022 World Cup: Ghana-Portugal, parenthesis of hope in ruined country

The Black Stars bowed 3-2 against the Cristiano Ronaldo team but it is the first African team to have marked since the start of the competition

by Marine Jeannin (Accra, Special Envoy)

The Ghanaians needed a football moment. Gather by the thousands in front of the screens of bars and fanzones, take out the red, black and yellow flags stored after a poor African Cup (CAN) (CAN) (CAN), forget the time of a match the diving dive of their economy and the ‘Inflation which is silent 40 % to see, finally, their blacks stars shine on the lawn of the Stadium 974 of Doha, in Qatar.

In the modest spans of the Kanda Fanzone, a district of Accra, we worry about the fierce Portuguese selection, but hope is there. Black Stars can count on their figurehead, André Ayew, their versatile star, Thomas Partey, and a 22 -year -old rising star, Mohammed Kudus. Serbian Milovan Rajevac was thanked after the CAN and replaced by a German-Ghanaian coach, Otto Addo, himself a former national team with fifteen selections on the clock.

Prognosis is going well, even among the soldiers in uniform debauchery earlier close immigration services. The too rare seats are already filled at 3 p.m. and when the match begins, it is difficult to find a free place on the burning asphalt. 2> “It only remains football to come together”

The first period begins gently, despite some opportunities for Cristiano Ronaldo who make the public scream and beat the drums like a huge heart. Timore, the Ghanaian team does not touch a single ball in the opposing surface during the first-five minutes. “It is normal that they are intimidated, we have the youngest selection of the tournament, tempers Thomas Kassi, just out of the school, which managed to find a plastic chair. Almost all of our holders discover The World Cup right now, and the Portuguese are hard to cook. “

The scorers are missing several occasions, sometimes seeming embarrassed to receive the ball. But the Ghanaian team is well organized, its solid defense for the moment. When the first half ends in a draw, the fans allow themselves to breathe. For once, almost no one drinks. The fanzone is sponsored by club, local beer, and the 33cl glass price was reduced to 5 cedis (0.33 euros) for the occasion. But that still represents a third of the minimum daily salary and in Accra, the atmosphere is not on the expense. “With the economic crisis that we undergo these days, the least we can say is that it is not the party every day, explains one of the few young women in the front rows, Roberta Modin. There remains only football to come together, and again feel the pride of being Ghanaian. “

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/Media reports cited above.