Black Stars Head Coach Carlos Queiroz says Ghana’s FIFA World Cup campaign enters its decisive phase on Friday, as the team prepares for a Round of 32 knockout clash with Colombia at Kansas City Stadium.
Speaking ahead of the game, the experienced Portuguese coach leaned on his pedigree to frame the magnitude of the tie.
“I’m fully ready. I’ve been in these situations a couple of times,” Queiroz said.
“Different competitions, but the knockout stage is something special. There is nothing to compare in football when you go to this stage of everything to the winner, nothing to the loser. The real-World Cup starts now for us.”
Queiroz, who is overseeing his fifth World Cup as a head coach, stressed that mentality will decide Friday’s contest.
“These are the games that count and matter. It’s not only about talent, but also about character, it’s about attitude, courage, bravery during 90 minutes,” he said.
“In this game, there are no guys that are brave or others that are not brave. It’s just guys that last 10 minutes more than the others. This is exactly what we are doing with the players, to make them ready to be always one step ahead of the game, one jump more, one run more, one sprint more, one better pass.”
While acknowledging the pressure of knockout football, Queiroz wants his players to embrace the occasion.
“We know it is a lot of pressure. We don’t need to bring more pressure for us,” he said.
“I have to be sure that my players really enjoy playing the game. They enjoy every challenge, every pass, every strike on goal, every single duel. When we start to win those small things in the game, we start to build the result that we expect.”
Ghana faces Colombia on Friday, July 3, at 8:30 p.m. ET at Kansas City Stadium. The winner advances to the Round of 16 to meet the winner of Switzerland.
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