Ghana captain, Yaw Yeboah has admitted that the side is feeling the pressure to qualify for next year’s Olympic Games.
The Black Meteors are a step away from booking their ticket to the Tokyo 2020 football tournament but would have to beat neighbours Cote d’Ivoire in the semifinals of the 2019 Under-23 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) Tuesday.
However, Yeboah indicated that he and his teammates are capable of dealing with the pressure at stake as they strive to end the 15-year drought of not qualifying for the competition since 2004.
“Yes we are under pressure to qualify to the Olympics but we are dealing with it. We were able to avoid making mistakes and won the match against Mali despite the pressure on us,” he stated in an interview with ghanafa.org.
“All the players are ready because tomorrow [Tuesday] is really an important day for all of us. Mentally and physically, we are prepared and believe with hard work and determination we will qualify for the Olympics and the final on Friday.
Yeboah also stated that the Meteors are anticipating a tough tie from the Ivorians.
“We are expecting a tough match against Cote d’Ivoire because they are one of the best teams in Africa and both countries have players who play at high levels.
“But for us, it will be an achievement to reach the finals and book our ticket to the Olympic Games. That is our biggest motivation and we are aiming to achieve it on Tuesday.”
The game is scheduled to kick off at 14:00 GMT.
