The 35-year-old striker has shared his thoughts on the Black Stars’ first round opponents for the January 8 – February 6 gathering in Cameroon
Ghana striker Asamoah Gyan has described their group for the delayed 2021 Africa Cup of Nations tournament as a “tricky” one after the Black Stars drew Morocco, Gabon and Comoros Island.
The four-time African champions will face off against the Atlas Lions, The Panthers and The Coelacanths in Group C of the January 9 – February 6 tournament in Cameroon.
The final draw was conducted on Tuesday.
“I think it’s a tricky group,” Gyan, one of five African football legends who helped to conduct the draw in the Cameroonian Capital of Yaounde, said of Ghana’s group at the event broadcast live across the world.
“Morocco are up there, I think they conceded just one goal in the qualification, which statistically are one of the strongest in the group.
“Ghana are also up there. That’s my country, I will be rooting for my country. But everybody who has qualified for the Africa Cup of Nations is coming to win. So statistically, we’re up there but we don’t know what is going to happen.
“We just have to stay focused and do what we can do to just qualify from this group and then we see what happens because without [qualifying from] the group, you cannot be thinking of winning the cup. So we have to make sure we qualify from the group stage, and then think about winning the cup.”
Ghana will kick off their Cameroon adventure with a clash with Morocco at Stade Ahmadou Ahidjo on January 10 before coming up against Gabon four days later.
The Black Stars, who will be seeking to go all the way to win their first title since 1982, will then wrap up their group stage mission with a meeting with Comoros on January 18.
“It’s been quite frustrating [that we have not won the cup in a long time],” Gyan remarked.
“Since 2008, our worst is the semi-final, so it’s like we’ve been coming closer to the cup but we don’t get it. I think back home, everybody wants nothing but the cup.
“It doesn’t matter about the performance. It’s about the cup. So that is what we’re praying for.”
Ghana’s last Afcon campaign ended in a Round of 16 exit At Egypt 2019.
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