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No matter how analytical a sports analyst can be, there are names you don't skip when it comes to African football, and one them is the Ghanaian Football National team. They are nicknamed the "black stars of Ghana." Well, every football team have a nickname. When it comes to continental tournaments, the boys from Gold Coast remains a force to reckon with, playing with so much energy and speed. Over the years, they have proved their mettle in the continent, and have been one of the backbones of Africa in World Tournaments as well.

Their World Cup debut in 2006 may not have been an awesome performance, but then, we need to cut them some slack for making it the round-of-16 where they succumbed 3-0 to a very good Brazilian side. I am tempted to call them the golden era Ghanaian football team. From 2006, the team had become almost formidable in the continent and to an extent, the world.

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This reflected in their World ranking in 2008, as they found themselves at the 14th position. The team went on to secure 100% qualifying record ahead of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, becoming the first African team to qualify for the tournament. Their last qualifying game was against Sudan which was played in Ghana, they won 2-0 to seal their ticket.

The team had a disappointing outing in the 2014 World cup, as a lot of in-house issues wrecked havoc on their performance. This saw them sent packing from the tournament from the group stage that played host to teams like Germany, United States and Portugal. They exited the group due to poor organization by the Ghanaian management, as issues of match bonus payments distracted the team. Even though they played 2-2 draw with Germany before packing their bags, the black stars were far from their usual self.

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The Team's Possible Worst Moment

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The Gold Coast national team may have had Lots of blissful moments that will forever be remembered in their history books, but then, as usual, Life is not a bed of roses. It actually took me a great deal of assessment before I finally decided to pick the team's possible worst moment, it's totally a subjective view, you're reserved with the liberty to think otherwise.

I actually took into consideration the gravity of the anguish, the magnitude of fans disappointed and how historic it will have been if the team wasn't beaten. In decades to come, the 2010 World cup will always be remembered for its mixed feelings in the African continent. It started with happiness, as it was the first time the greatest football tournament was hosted in Africa.

However, sadness will later eclipse the continent when their last surviving team Ghana was sent packing in a match that witnessed so much emotions and drama. Africa felt the hurt, Luis Suarez stabbed the continent, and this wound keeps refreshing anytime Ghana hears about a World Cup.

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With Nigeria and the host Country South Africa already out of the tournament, Ghana marched on, and was at the verge of making history for themselves. Ghana would have become the first African team to make it the semi finals of the world cup, after being the third African country alongside Cameroon and Senegal to reach a world cup quarterfinals.

The match that made Africa resent Suarez at that moment, also made the Uruguayan a hero in his country and perhaps South America in general. I've not witnessed a more emotional and tensed moment in a football game, starting from Suarez's red card due to stopping the ball from entering the post with his hands, to the misses penalty taken by Gyan.

At the point of taking that penalty, the hearts of Africans stopped beating, The tension was so high and only God knows how Gyan felt hitting the ball too hard. He missed it at last, and after the penalty shoot outs, Ghana couldn't write their name on the sky by becoming the first African team to make it to the semi finals of the world cup. Though the team received a heroic welcome when they touched down in Ghana, the scars and tears of the 2010 World Cup encounter will never be forgotten.

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Preparations For Next Year's African Nations Cup?

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The Ghanaian national team needs no formal introduction when it comes the continent's tournament, as they are one of the heavyweights in African football. The team has won the The Continental championship Four(4) times (1963, 1965, 1978, and 1982). The team have also emerged as the African Nations Cup runners-up five(5) times (1968, 1970, 1992, 2010 and 2015). The Ghanaian national team has also won the African team of the year award three time.

With next years African Nations Cup in Cameroon already in view, the team found themselves in "Group F" which also plays host to Kenya, Sierra Leon, and Ethiopia. The group has seen a tight competition so far, and has seen an unlikely Kenya sitting at the top of the log with 4 points from three games, followed by Ethiopia with same 4 points from three games.

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However Ghana is third on the log after two games with 3 points, as their third game that was to be played with Sierra Leon yesterday was postponed. The black stars in their first qualifying game, humiliated Ethiopia in a game that saw them seize a 5-0 win over their visitors at the Baba Yara Stadium in Kumasi.

Ghana was however toppled by ten men Kenya in Nairobi in their second match, losing all three points in a game that saw them lose 1-0 to the host Nation. They will however hope to beat Sierra Leon in their next fixture to keep their hope of qualification in a good standing.