Sunday, June 12, 2022 marked 16 years since Ghana played its debut game at the World Cup.
The historic match was a Group E game
Read full articlebetween new entrants Ghana and eventual winners, Azzuris of Italy at the 2006 World Cup which was hosted by Germany.
A Black Stars team that had Michael Essien, Sulley Muntari, John Mensah and Sammy Osei Kuffour were handed a humbling 2-0 defeat by the Italians.
The first goal by the Italians was a sweet curler by Andre Pirlo which went through the crowded Ghanaian goal area before beating goalkeeper Richard Kingson.
The second goal was as a result of two howlers by Sulley Muntari and Sammy Kuffour. A faulty pass by Muntari fed the ball to the Italians who probed forward with a long pass.
Sammy Kuffour had a chance to clear but opted for a back pass. Unfortunately for him, his feeble back pass could not get to Olele as Iaquinta pounced on it and rounded Richard Kingston before feeding the empty net.
The 2-0 defeat turned out to be the only defeat by the Black Stars as they went on to beat Czech Republic and the United States of America, 2-0, 2-1 respectively to advance to the next round of the competition.
Stephen Appiah has remembered the game with a social media post, detailing how he felt leading the team.
reality a nation's dream. Ghana played its first game against Italy in the 2006 World Cup in Germany,” Appiah posted online, remembering the moment.
He added: “16 years on, I still feel that nostalgic moment in my genes and can still hear the 43,000 fans Niedersachsenstadion chant and chear their own. Time indeed flies.”
