Ghanaian striker Antoine Semenyo has acknowledged the widespread belief that the Black Stars have a strong team and must live up to expectations.
Speaking in an interview with Premier League TV, the AFC Bournemouth forward reflected on his journey with the national team and the pressure that comes with representing Ghana.
Semenyo admitted that the passion of Ghanaian fans brings immense pressure to perform. “Pressure. It felt like pressure, to be honest. There’s a lot of pressure from the fans that we’ve got a good team, and we’ve got to do well. I agree with them, a very good team, so there was a lot of pressure behind it,” he explained.
The 2022 FIFA World Cup was a particularly frustrating experience for the Black Stars. Reflecting on the team’s performance, Semenyo highlighted the disappointment of losing to Uruguay, a match Ghana needed to win to advance. “I think we needed to beat Uruguay to get through. Obviously, we lost. It was just frustrating,” he lamented.
He also spoke about the emotions of fans, emphasizing their deep connection to the team. “You look into the stands, all the fans were frustrated, angry, cussing at everyone, and that’s just the country in a nutshell. They just love football. Their week is determined on how well we do,” Semenyo remarked.
With his current form for AFC Bournemouth, Semenyo is expected to be part of Otto Addo’s squad for the upcoming World Cup qualification matches against Chad and Madagascar in March.
