Stars Leaving Nothing To Chance

Black Stars striker, Matthew Amoah, says the team is not leaving anything to chance in Saturday?s crucial game against Cape Verde and that they will go all out against to qualify in style.

According to Amoah, the journey to the 2006 World Cup has not been that easy and with qualification almost sealed, the Stars are determined to finish in the same manner athletes breast the final tape to win races and set records.

In an interview with the Graphic Sports ahead of this weekend?s match in Praia, Amoah, who has played a no mean role in Ghana?s qualification, said since the victory over Uganda and South Africa?s loss to Burkina Faso, they have been excited about the qualification and not even FIFA?s announcement that the qualification would not be official until after October 8 could dampen their spirits.

He said it had been an arduous trip and there was no way they were going to let Cape Verde spoil their party. ?It?s really a dream come true and we are very excited about what we have been able to achieve,? an obviously excited Amoah said.

?We are determined to show that our wins were not just based on luck, or that they were one-offs. With our consistent performance, we don?t have to prove to anyone that we were the best in the group. We have to complete the task we set ourselves to win and qualify in style,? he emphasised.

Amoah, who plays for Dutch first division side Vitesse Arnheim, first played for the Stars during the 2002 Nations Cup in Mali but could not maintain a consistent place because of recurring injuries.

And he has proved his call-up with three decisive goals, scoring in the last three matches of the qualifiers. He scored in the game against Burkina Faso at the Baba Yara Stadium when the Stars won 2-1, and fetched the Stars? first goal in the 2-0 win over Bafana Bafana in Johannesburg. He again netted the second goal when Ghana won 2-0 against Uganda in Kumasi on September 5.

While acknowledging that he had played a role in the Stars? campaign so far, he attributed the good show of the team to the high level of comaradie among the players, saying, they helped one another to remain focused and ?we are maintaining, that momentum to the very end.?

Asked if he would be on target again in Praia, he said he was really relishing that moment and nothing will make him more proud than getting his name on the scoresheet in the last match.

?That will definitely be an icing on the cake. It?s one of my wishes to score if I get to feature in the last game, either in the starting line-up or from the bench. I won?t miss that opportunity if it presents itself, but at the same time it won?t be my main focus. I won?t be disappointed if I don?t score. Mine will be to help the team win in whatever way I can,? he said.

Meanwhile, the local component of the team left Accra last Sunday night for Portugal minus Coach Ratomir Dujkovic who stayed to attend to his sick wife.

The coach however was due to leave last night together with Enyimba striker Joe Tex Frimpong and are expected to join the team later today in Portugal.

The five players who wiill be joined by their foreign counterparts later in the week are goalkeepers Phelimon Macathy (Fetteh Feyeenoord), andGeorge Owu (Ashgold).The rest are Dan Quaye(Hearts of Oak),Yusif Chibsah, Issah Ahmed ( Kotoko) and Eliasu Alhassan (Faisal).

They were accompanied by assistant coaches, Sellas Tetteh and Eddie Ansah, team doctor Martin Engmann, Charles Botchway, physiotherapist, and Welfare Officer, Opoku Afriyie.