Harrison Afful’s wait for his World Cup debut passed with a great display of brilliance and a never-say-die attitude as he kept going until the final kick.
Thrust into the tournament’s 800th game since 1930 in Ghana’s 2-2 draw with Germany in Fortaleza on Saturday, Afful showed no signs of nerves, charging around the pitch throughout the captivating encounter.
Afful, 28, was one of Ghana’s many best performers in the Group G encounter at the Estadio Castelao as he delivered the cross that enabled Andre Ayew to head Ghana level at 1-1.
Though he was eager to see Ghana win, Afful says the Black Stars, who have an equal chance of going through to the next round will continue to push on.
“It’s a shame we couldn’t win today,” Afful said after the game with Germany.
“It would have been great to take all three points. But we ran ourselves into the ground and played really well against a team of the calibre of Germany.
“We’ve still got a game to go and we’re going to give it our all to go through. If we don’t qualify, it won’t be for lack of effort.”
Though his diminutive size might leave him unnoticed, his hardwork combined with pace never goes unrecognized.
“It [fighting spirit] is part of me. If I wasn’t like that, I wouldn’t be myself,” he said.
“Ever since I was very young I’ve been quick and I’ve always liked having the ball, so when I’m near it I have to go looking for it. What’s more, I really love my country and my team-mates, so I’ll never stop giving everything I’ve got to help them.”