Ghana midfielder Mohammed Kudus has suggested events of the 2010 World Cup might have played a part in their failure in Qatar.
The Blacks Stars exited the World Cup at the group stage following defeats to Portugal and Uruguay, in between a win against South Korea.
Their 2-0 loss to Uruguay, however, rekindled memories of 2010 as captain Andre Ayew missed a first-half penalty, bringing back the agony of 12 years ago when Asamoah Gyan missed his extra-time spot kick against the South Americans with Ghana close to sealing a historic semi-final ticket.
“A team is like a puzzle, every jigsaw piece is important to solve a problem or complete a picture,” Kudus said via a Twitter post.
“When Ghana needed us the most, collectively by our arts we painted an unpleasant picture, souring 12 years of pain. As a team we take responsibility for letting Ghana down but we pick the positives to grow.”
Ghana were in contention to reach the last 16 round but results didn’t go their way in the last group stage fixtures. After Ayew’s missed penalty, the South Americans took control of the match to emerge victorious.
Both teams ended up exiting the tournament as South Korea recorded a 2-1 victory to finish second in the group with a superior goal difference to Uruguay as Ghana ended last with three points.
Kudus was his side’s star player at the tournament, scoring two goals in their 3-2 win against the Asian giants to become the first Ghanaian to net a brace at the World Cup. He also won the penalty that Ayew missed.
Kudus will now link up with his club Ajax Amsterdam who are in camp ahead of the Eredivisie’s resumption in January.
