Asamoah Gyan, the former captain of the Black Stars, has responded to and dismissed rumours of any disagreement between himself and former teammate Stephen Appiah regarding the missed penalty in the 2010 FIFA World Cup quarter-final match against Uruguay.
Gyan clarified that he was specifically chosen as the primary penalty taker by the coach before the match.
He emphasized that he had successfully converted penalties in the previous group-stage matches against Serbia and Australia.
Despite the unfortunate outcome against Uruguay, where his shot hit the woodwork after deceiving the Uruguayan goalkeeper, Gyan maintained that he was indeed the designated penalty taker for the team.
He further explained that even if Appiah had attempted to take the penalty, he would have deferred to Gyan, following the coach’s instructions.
“Before every match, the coach designates the first penalty taker. So I took the penalties in the first and second matches against Serbia and Australia. Even if Stephen [Appiah] had taken the ball, he would have passed it to me,” he stated during an interview with Onua TV.
“Hey, don’t think you cannot play, we know you are the best, so go out there and play. Show Ghanaians that you know how to play. Just because there was a mistake doesn’t mean you can’t do it again.”
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