Sports News of Saturday, 23 May 2015

Source: goal.com

Ayew still hurting from 2015 Afcon debacle

The Black Stars deputy skipper says he will never put the disappointment of losing the 2015 Afcon finals to Cote d’Ivoire behind him until he wins the trophy in the near future

It was a bitter pill to swallow for Ghana players after losing the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations final to close neighbours Cote D’Ivoire in Equatorial Guinea last February.

The Black Stars failed to end their 32-year wait for an African title as they blew a two-goal lead in the penalty shootout to miss another unique opportunity of winning the title.

Andre Ayew, who was one of the most devastated on that night in Bata, says he can never move on from that setback until he wins the title.

“I will never put that final behind me until the day God gives me the opportunity to win the trophy,” he told BBC’s World Football.

“It is one of the trophies that I want more than anything else in the world. We deserved to win.

“To forget about it is not possible until I win it but if I become a better player and all of us in the Ghana squad become better players then we’re giving ourselves more chances to win it next time.”

The Marseille winger has been involved in two Afcon finals since becoming a key member of the team.

He lost the 2010 final in Angola when Ghana succumbed to a late strike in Egypt’s last African title that ended their era of dominance on the continent.