Ghana Confident Of Taking Brazil

The Fifa Under-20 World Cup in Egypt reaches a mouth-watering climax on Friday when African champions Ghana and South American champions Brazil meet in the Final at Cairo International Stadium. Both teams rated among the pre-tournament favourites, and both have fully lived up to their billing. Ghana and Brazil each emerged from the preliminaries as group winners and went on to overcome big-name opposition in the knockout stage. Ghana�s Black Satellites, defeated in their two previous Final appearances in 1993 and 2001, are vying to become the first-ever African winners of the Fifa U-20 World Cup. By contrast, Brazil are four-time winners with triumphs in 1983, 1985, 1993 and 2003, and are contesting the Final for the seventh time in all. It is the fourth Ghana-Brazil Final at a youth Fifa World Cup. The South Americans won the 1993 final 2-1. Two years later, it was the Africans� turn to triumph by a 3-2 margin in the Under-17 World Cup. The honours at U-17 level reverted to the Brazilians in 1997, when a young man by the name of Ronaldinho played his part in a 2-1 success. Ghana�s coach Sellas Tetteh is confident of the Black Satellites making a good showing.�It�s a fantastic feeling when you reach the Final. We�ll do whatever it takes to win the trophy now. We�re favourites and we�re up for the challenge. �We have played good football throughout the tournament. We have no reason to be nervous. We have the required fitness, and we have the necessary determination,� he says. Brazil coach Rogerio Lourenco is equally up-beat. �We certainly weren�t at our best in the semifinal against Costa Rica, but that doesn�t concern me in the slightest. Our target was to reach the Final, and we�ve hit our target. �Ghana have played quality football all through the tournament and deserve their place in the Final. They play a very similar attacking game to us. The crowd can look forward to plenty of entertainment,� he adds.