<<Print>>

Ghana�s rising star Andre Ayew has said that the Black Stars have no excuse not to win the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations to prove their greatness on the continent. The Olympique Marseille star is worried about the fact that a strong team like Ghana keep edging closer to tournament prizes but eventually crash out or end as runners-up. �At the World Cup, we missed the semi-finals on a penalty,� Ayew said. �At the last Nations Cup we made it to the final. We've proved that we're a good side, but to be a great side we need a trophy.� �We're programmed to win the cup. Being in the semi-final is good but we're not euphoric. The last four isn't enough for us. �We've carried the tag of favourites for each of our matches here, and it'll be the same against Zambia. But if Ghana does what needs to be done there won't be a problem,� he noted while speaking to reporters. Ayew added, �In this type of game there won't be many chances, perhaps two or three, and we have to know how to go for them when they arise. It will all come down to details.� Ghana will be playing Zambia on Wednesday in the first semi-final of the 2012 Afcon being co-hosted by Gabon and Equatorial Guinea. Ayew described the Chipolopolo as strong opponents and warned his colleagues to tread with caution. �They've progressed a lot since the last Nations Cup. It's a team that people under estimate greatly, everyone's talking about Ghana and Ivory Coast, but Zambia and Mali are in the last four because they deserve to be. �We haven't had as much time to recover (from the quarter-finals) as they have, but mental strength will decide the outcome,� Ayew noted.