Ghana's young guns confident as Burkina decider draws near

SEGOU, Mali -- Ghana midfield star Michael Essien is spearheading a new generation of young and gifted players whose sights are fixed on restoring the 'Black Stars' lost football glory.

Twenty-year-old Essien along with four other players - Dereck Boateng, John Mensah, Abdul Razak Ibrahim and John Pantsil - all played in the final of the FIFA World Youth Championship in Argentina last July.

And now here in Mali they have boldly vowed to return four-time African champions Ghana back to the top of football on the continent after two decades of under-achievement.

The new 'Black Stars', with an average age of about 24 years, began the African Nations Cup on a shaky note, just doing enough to earn a goalless draw with Morocco in Group B.

However, from the drama over the ejection of the team's biggest star, Bayern Munich defender Samuel Kuffour, the team appeared to have rediscovered their belief.

They held World Cup-bound South Africa to another 0-0 draw with an assured performance.

"We did not do ourselves any favours in our first match against Morocco but against South Africa we showed we can play a bit," said dreadlocked Ibrahim, who has been praised for his tireless work in midfield.

Ibrahim, no relation to Ghana's 1978 Nations Cup-winning captain 'Golden Boy' Abdul razak, teamed up with Empoli in 1998 from little Mighty Jets of Accra and has been a regular at the Italian club.

Like the other graduates of Argentina 2001, the 18-year-old is confident Ghana can overpower Burkina Faso in Mopti on Wednesday to reach the second phase.

"Against Burkina Faso, we will win 2-0 with me scoring one of the goals to qualify for the quarter-final," he predicted, adding that team spirit was excellent.

"We had some problems with the authorities but everything has since been resolved, our morale is high again. This match will prove it."

"Once we can get Burkina Faso out of the way, we will go all the way to the final.

"We're not thinking of the quarter-final or semi-finals," continued the team's 'Mr. Utility' John Pantsil, who also featured at the youth championship in Argentina.

"Mali and Cameroon have been doing well at this championship but neither team can stop us from taking the cup back to Ghana," he said.

In qualifiers for the 2002 World Cup, the 'Black Stars' again failed to emerge from a five-team group that included arch-rivals Nigeria, Liberia and Sudan. Both Essien, who last season signed a four-year deal with Bastia of France, and Boateng from top Greek outfit Panathinaikos said helping Ghana reach the 2006 World Cup is next on their schedule.

"We have our future in front of us. If we can keep our confidence level up, we can qualify for the 2006 World Cup," said Essien.

"We have matured both as individuals and as a team since Argentina. Ghana can count on us."