Ghana owe Africa World Cup progress, says Queiroz

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Ghana boss Carlos Queiroz said Thursday it was his team’s “duty” to ensure an African side reached the World Cup round of 16 after a string of knockout defeats for teams from the continent.

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The veteran Portuguese, managing at his fifth consecutive World Cup, led Ghana into the last 32 as one of the top third-placed teams.

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They were among a record nine African nations who progressed from the group stage out of 10 who started the tournament in Canada, Mexico and the United States.

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However, only Morocco have made the next step to the last 16 so far, with Senegal, Ivory Coast and DR Congo falling by the wayside.

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“It’s another challenge for us,” said Queiroz, whose team face Colombia in Kansas City on Friday. “We have to improve these statistics tomorrow.

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“We have to make it better. So it is on our shoulders to be sure that we add another African team to the next round. That’s our duty.”

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The Portuguese veteran, whose previous international managerial jobs included a stint with Colombia, praised the bravery of his players, saying they would “fight until the end” for a result.

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“This is in the DNA of these boys in Ghana,” said the 73-year-old, who was only appointed in April. “There’s nothing that you can build or you can buy.

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“It is something that is in their blood and they are really great fighters and I’m very proud to be their coach.”

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Captain Jordan Ayew recalled Ghana’s run to the quarter-finals of the World Cup in South Africa in 2010.

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“It was amazing,” he said. “Obviously those are the moments that we want to bring back to our country.”

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He said Ghana fancied their chances against higher-ranked Colombia.

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“In football, every game you start is 50-50,” he said. “Tomorrow is going to be another tight game.

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“Listen, we are going to do our best, we are going to put on a show and we will see what will happen. But what I can guarantee is that we will definitely make Africa proud and Ghana proud.”

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AFP

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