” We were not expecting this start but we will make it” -Dede Ayew declares despite Morocco loss

Andre ‘Dede’ Ayew, the Black Stars captain, has appeased Ghanaians’ concerns over the senior national team’s chances at the AFCON 2021 tournament.

Despite Ghana’s loss to Morocco in the first game, the Al Sadd captain believes there is no reason to be concerned about the team’s chances of progressing to the round of 16.

Speaking at the post match interview in Yaounde, the skipper said starting tournaments on a difficult note has been a normal thing for Ghana over the last few years.

“We are very disappointed to have conceded in the last minute, we faced a solid team, one of the favourites, we went head to head with them but it wasn’t meant to be. I think we can get through and we will get through cos it is our duty and we will make sure we qualify to the next stage. We lost the first game in 2010, 2015 but we pulled through. We were not expecting this start but we will make it”, Dede said.

Ayew, who suffered a head injury in the game, says he will be fine for Friday’s game against Gabon.

I’ve been sick for the previous two days, but I wanted to play, and my teammates wanted me on the field, so I did everything I could since I’d been waiting for this for three years, with the unfortunate addition of a cut.

‘It was a clear penalty; we deserved two more penalties’ – Andre Ayew on South Africa game

The Black Stars were mainly inactive in the second half, and were penalized for it when Sofiane Boufal capitalized on a defensive mistake to score the game-winner.

Milovan Rajevac set a solid lineup for the encounter against the Atlas Lions, but he also included five debutants.

Andre Ayew, Jordan Ayew, and Thomas Partey all began their first AFCON game, while Joojo Wollacot, Alexander Djiku, Joseph Paintsil, Baba Iddrisu, and Kamaldeen Sulemana all brought experience to the team.