After their dramatic 1-0 victory over Panama on Wednesday night, Antoine Semenyo says Ghana will head into their FIFA World Cup showdown with England looking to ‘prove a point’.
The Black Stars laboured for most of that game on Wednesday, until Caleb Yirenkyi‘s stoppage-time winner in Toronto secured them all three points from a match that Panama controlled for long stretches, leaving the Black Stars chasing the game.
Having secured that breathless win, Ghanaian attention now turns to England, who opened their campaign with a 4-2 victory over Croatia and lie in wait in what should be a pivotal Group L clash on June 23.
“It’s gonna be different for sure,” Manchester City‘s Semenyo told reporters after the game.
“I’m looking forward to the challenge. Everyone in the Ghana team is looking forward to it, and we want to prove a point.”
Semenyo said their focus will be mostly on recovery after a physically demanding opening match and the prospect of an even tougher slug against the Three Lions.
“We know it’s going to be a tough game,” he said. “We’re not gonna get ahead of ourselves. We know we want to win that game, but we know it’s not gonna be easy either.
“So for now, it’s to make sure we recover well now and we train well leading up to the England game.”
The England-born forward admitted that Ghana struggled to gain a foothold against Panama early on, as the Central Americans repeatedly played through the Black Stars’ ineffective first half press.
With Semenyo increasingly isolated, and the inexperienced Black Stars midfield being dominated, Ghana coach Carlos Quieroz decided to push the City forward centrally to help bring some stability, before switching him out back wide.
“I feel like the first 15, 20 minutes we weren’t getting the press right, so he put me in the middle just to get the team up a little bit,” Semenyo said.
“We felt like we were a little bit deep. That was the whole point of that change. But eventually, as the game opened up, he wanted me back out wide trying to get on the ball.
“We stuck together well, didn’t concede. Like I said, it was a game about moments. We got our moment and we finished it off.”
Such was the speed with which their goal unfolded that even though Semenyo himself played a key role in it, he admitted afterward that the sequence unfolded so quickly he could barely remember it.
“I can’t remember what happened,” he said. “I think the ball broke loose fast, and I got it. I just wanted to play it into space for Brandon, and I thought I’d over hit the pass but he got there just in time.
“When he got the ball, I wanted to cut back initially, but I made the run across the front post, completely missed the ball, but luckily it went to Caleb and he tapped it in.”
The goal and the result sparked delirious celebrations among players and supporters, with even Queiroz heading toward the Ghana fans after the final whistle.
Semenyo credited the fans for giving the team the lift they needed all game: “It was crazy.
“The fans were loud all game for us and we appreciate them for everything and just celebrating that moment with them, teammates, family, friends. It was amazing.
