Ghana legend Rev. Osei Kofi has drawn parallels between the current Black Stars team and the sides that won the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in the 1960s.
In an interview with 3news.com, Osei Kofi noted that both teams have a standout player that the team and coach rely on. While he was the star player in his time, Mohammed Kudus has taken on that role in the current setup.
Osei Kofi played a key role in Ghana’s first two AFCON victories in 1963 and 1965, earning himself the nickname “wizard dribbler” due to his exceptional ball control skills. He believes that Kudus has a similar impact on the current team and can lead them to victory against Mozambique in their must-win game.
“The time we won the AFCON, there was always a player, the coach and Ghanaians relied on. Ghanaians were relying on Osei Kofi and that is the reason we won. Now we have Mohammed Kudus who is working very hard to get to where we were, and the players have to help him achieve that goal,” Osei Kofi said.
Kudus was absent in the opening game against Cape Verde, leading to a disappointing 2-1 loss for Ghana. However, he made a comeback in the second game against Egypt, scoring two impressive goals in a 2-2 draw. Despite the mixed results, Osei Kofi remains optimistic about Ghana’s chances against Mozambique. He, along with AFCON winners Kofi Pare, James Kuuku Dadzie, and Willie Klutse, visited the team during a training session on Saturday, boosting the team’s morale for the upcoming match.
?? Until Kudus brace against Egypt in the ongoing 2023 AFCON, the last player to score twice in a single AFCON game for the Black Stars was the late Christian Atsu in the 2015 AFCON
-Atsu scored in the Quarter Final of the tournament against Guinea when Ghana won 3-0. ( 4′ 61′) pic.twitter.com/zVUGhh46TS
— Shaban Mohammed (@ShabanMo9) January 21, 2024
“I told the players that in almost all the AFCON tournaments we’ve been to, we don’t do well in our first match, but we improve from there. We lost our first match, drew our second, so the third match automatically we have to win, and they understood,” Osei Kofi revealed.
Ghana need a victory against Mozambique to keep their hopes alive after a poor start to the tournament. A win would give them four points, which may be enough to finish as one of the best third-placed teams and advance to the next round.
Ghana were eliminated from the tournament two years ago after finishing bottom of their group, and a loss in this crunch match would see them finish at the foot of Group B again. However, Osei Kofi remains confident that the Black Stars can overcome Mozambique and secure qualification.
“With Kudus getting the help from his teammates, I’m confident we can win against Mozambique and qualify,” he added.