Ghana dismiss doubts after shaky draw with Guinea

Ghana have dispelled doubts about their chances of winning a fifth Africa Cup of Nations title even after a laboured performance with Guinea in their closing first round game. The Black Stars drew 1-1 with 10-man Guinea to finish top of Group D and will face 2004 champions Tunisia on Sunday for a place in the semi-finals.
"We aim to keep going. There is no doubt we will compete till the very end," declared John Pantsil, who captained Ghana against both Mali and Guinea in the absence of John Mensah. "What mattered most was that we top our group and qualify for the quarter-final. And we have done that now."
Pantsil said he expects Tunisia to be a very tough match for Ghana. "This is crucial and tricky game. It won't be easy because Tunisia are a very good team, who pass the ball around very well and they can also run," said the Leicester fullback. "It will be difficult against one of the best teams in this competition," added star striker Asamoah Gyan.
"But we will rise to the occasion because with the Ghanaian character, we will always handle the pressure." Ghana assistant coach, Kwesi Appiah, said he expects his team to lift their performance against the Carthage Eagles on Sunday. "I believe we will raise our game to reach the semi-finals," he said.
"In our opening game against Botswana, we did not play at our level. But for the second game against Mali, we played at about 70 percent of our capacity. "Every game is different and we will treat them so." Four-time champions Ghana have studied Tunisia as a possible opposition to their quest to end a 30-year wait for another Nations Cup title.
"We have watched video tapes of Tunisia. They are a very good team," said Appiah. Both teams last clashed in a friendly in 2006 with the north Africans winning the game 1-0. The biggest cheering news for Ghana is that skipper John Mensah will be fully fit in time for this quarter-final. The Lyon centre back suffered a thigh muscle injury, but he was on the bench for the Guinea game to underline how quickly he has recovered.