�Vintage� is the word that can be used to aptly describe the dazzling performance put up by the Black Stars against the Pharaohs of Egypt in the first leg of their crucial Brazil 2014 World Cup qualifier in Kumasi yesterday.
Prior to the game, the pedigree of the two teams made it too close a contest to call, but the Stars made nonsense of all the bookmakers� predictions with a convincing 6-1 hammering of a clueless Egyptian side which looked too ordinary for a Mundial slot.
A total performance it was for the Ghanaians who scored three goals in each half and never removed their foot from the accelerator from kick-off until they turned the Nile into blood.
With that emphatic victory, we believe the Stars have one foot comfortably pegged in Brazil and are only waiting to put the icing on the cake in the return encounter in Cairo on November 19 to seal their third consecutive FIFA World Cup qualification.
As we clamoured for time and again prior to the game, it was the rich experience of some battle-tested players such as Skipper Asamoah Gyan, Michael Essien and Sulley Muntari which gave the Stars the upperhand over the out-of-sorts Egyptians who were stripped of their terror which made them seven-time African champions.
A memorable day, indeed, it was for Ghana football, and the script of the Pharaohs� �Black Tuesday� cannot be complete without mentioning the inspirational role especially played by Gyan, who scored a brace which were complemented by some classic goals by Abdul Majeed Warris, Muntari, substitute Christian Atsu and an own goal by Wael Gomaa through an Essien effort.
The massive victory was also a feather in the cap for the Stars� unsung coach, Kwasi Appiah, who is now within reach of cutting a slice of history as the first Ghanaian to lead the senior national team to the FIFA World Cup.
For Coach Appiah, yesterday�s result was nothing more than a happy ending to a difficult Group D campaign which interestingly began with a 7-0 thrashing of Lesotho, also at the Baba Yara Stadium in Kumasi in June 2012.
We cannot but join in the celebration of another major feat by the Stars masterminded by one of our own, lending credence to our long-held position that an indigenous coach can also win laurels for the nation if he can be provided with the support and motivation that are usually offered to expatriate coaches.
But in the midst of the partying, we wish to sound a note of caution to the Stars not to let the plaudits take the better part of them but remain focused on the World Cup ticket, since there is still a second leg to play in enemy territory on November 19.
We believe Kwasi Appiah and his men need the same positive attitude and high level of preparation with which they approached the first leg in the return encounter to seal qualification to Brazil, since, as the sages say, �It is not over until it is over.�
For now, we say congratulations to Coach Appiah and the gallant Black Stars for bringing Ghana to the threshold of yet another cherished World Cup experience.
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