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Ghana’s confidence trick pays off
- Updated: October 6, 2016
“Yes, we have suffered a bad defeat. But I promise you: we will come back. And we will come back stronger. We will win against USA.” When Evans Adotey delivered these words, fresh from watching his side being thumped 5-0 by Japan, more than a few quizzical looks were exchanged. Was he genuine? Or, given how comprehensively outclassed his side had been, was this simply an empty show of bravado? After all, USA had arguably been just as impressive as Japan in dealing out a thrashing of their own against Paraguay. Adotey, though, clearly knew better than those who raised eyebrows at his bullish declaration. “Today you saw the real Ghana,” he told FIFA.com after watching the Black Maidens claim a thoroughly deserved 2-1 win over the highly-fancied Americans. All the same, he was honest enough to admit that his guarantee of a victory over the Stars & Stripes had an ulterior psychological motive. “That promise and everything since the Japan game has been about psyching ourselves up,” he explained. “The players needed to believe they could win and it wasn’t easy building them up again. Confidence is so important in football and it takes a knock when you lose 5-0. Psyching them up was hard work. “What motivated them more than …
