Paintsil: Ghana to give everything against U.S

Defender John Paintsil sounds the determination of the Black Stars to give off their best when Ghana meets the United States today to ensure a place in the quarter-finals.

Both sides are familiar with each other following their final group match at the 2006 World Cup which Ghana won 2-1 to secure second round berth on their debut.

But at the Royal Bafokeng Stadium in Rustenburg, they would this time be playing for a place in the last eight of the World Cup.

Looking ahead to the impending Round of 16 tie with the Americans, Paintsil, one of the few veterans from the 2006 squad with the current team looks back to that crucial victory four years ago over the U.S and anticipates another tough battle.

"It was the match that took us into the Round of 16. The USA were above us in the FIFA ranking, but we still managed to beat them 2-1. It was a great feeling. I remember that at the end of the game we stayed on the field for several minutes, waiting for the result of the other match in the group. When we finally heard that we had gone through, we all went mad," Paintsil told Fifa.com

"They are a very solid side that keep running for 90 minutes and more. They won't stop fighting until the final whistle. We know how they like to play and we know how we can cause them trouble. Now we're in the knockout stages and we'll give it everything to get through to the next round."

For the Yanks, it could be time for revenge which the Ghana team is well aware of, says Paintsil.

"I'm sure that the game from four years ago will still be in their minds, but we've played our hearts out to get into the top 16 teams in the world, and we're not going to give up now. We're ready for anything."