One of Ghana's stars at the 2022 FIFA World Cup has now suggested that his nation's exit from the 2010 edition of the tournament may have contributed to their elimination in Qatar.
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In their final Group H encounter last week, the Black Stars needed to vanquish the demons of 2010 as the west Africans came up against Uruguay in a bid to secure their passage to the knockout stages.
With the South Americans failing to register a single goal prior to their encounter with the Ghanaians, many were optimistic of coach Otto Addo's chances of getting past his Uruguayan counterpart Diego Alonso.
However, the same fate that had befallen the four-time African champions at Soccer City 12 years earlier awaited them at the Al Janoub Stadium on Friday.
A first-half penalty miss by captain Andre Ayew was the catalyst for a 2-0 Uruguay win as, for the second World Cup in a row, the Black Stars failed to make it to the round of 16.
The playmaker who won the penalty for Ghana, Mohammed Kudus, has now suggested that the pain and pressure of their exit in South Africa may have contributed to their elimination from the showpiece in the Gulf.
"A team is like a puzzle, every jigsaw piece is important to solve a problem or complete a picture," he said via his official Twitter account.
"When Ghana needed us the most, collectively by our arts we painted an unpleasant picture, souring 12 years of pain.
"As a team, we take responsibility for letting Ghana down, but we pick the positives to grow."
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Kudus carried his club form – he has 10 goals and two assists in 21 appearances for Ajax Amsterdam so far this season – into the global showpiece in Qatar, ending the tournament with two goals and one assist. He also likely increased his stock within the game as he became the first Ghanaian player ever to bag a World Cup brace in their 3-2 win over South Korea.
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