Antoine Semenyo says Ghana can get out of England's group and reach the World Cup knockout stages, even though they finished bottom of their group in Qatar four years ago. The 26-year old forward said the first target is to escape the group, then see how far Ghana can go.
Semenyo and England in Boston
Ghana will face England in the second group game in Boston, a meeting that sits at the center of Semenyo's outlook for the tournament. He said Ghana can qualify from that group and believes the side can create problems for opponents.
“We believe we can cause some upsets ourselves.” He also said, “We have a great group.” Those lines frame the team’s approach: confidence without pretending the task is simple.
Ghana’s injury test
Semenyo acknowledged the obstacle inside the squad, saying, “We are missing some key players through injury but we still have so much talent in the team.” That leaves Ghana trying to balance a tough draw with a thinner pool than they would prefer.
He added, “It is going to be a tough group and the first target is to get out of that, but we back ourselves against any team, so if we can get into the knockout stages then who knows how far we can go?” The comment points to a clear target: survive the group first, then push beyond it.
Qatar still shapes Ghana
The last World Cup ended with Ghana bottom of the group in Qatar, and Semenyo said, “The last World Cup was disappointing as we didn’t get out of the groups. Our target is to do better than that this time.” He added, “I’m just looking forward to getting out there and playing more minutes on the biggest stage.”
That gives Ghana a straight measuring stick for the campaign ahead. Beat the group-stage standard from Qatar, handle England in Boston, and the knockout rounds become the line the squad is openly chasing.
