Black Stars Coach Carlos Queiroz says Ghana must be perfect for 90 minutes when they face Colombia in Friday’s FIFA World Cup Round of 32 clash in Kansas City, insisting the pressure of knockout football is a privilege, not a problem.

Speaking at Thursday’s pre-match press conference at Kansas City Stadium, Queiroz called the game all for the winner, nothing for the loser, and backed his players to rise to the moment.

Read on for the full transcript:

On the match against Colombia

It’s an important game for both teams. It will be great to see two fantastic teams on the pitch, different styles. With both teams committed to winning the game, creating entertainment. And for sure, both teams trying to bring the best results home. And I hope with the right inspiration and the right attitude, we'll be able to be a better team on the pitch tomorrow. And of course, get the result that our fans expect from us. With all due respect to Colombia, of course. But this is our commitment for tomorrow.

On knowing Colombia vey well

Well, it's true that I know the team well, the Colombian players.  It's also our obligation to study today's Colombia, not yesterday's Colombia. And we are aware of all the qualities of the team's players at the moment. The team reminds me a bit of my Colombia at the Copa America. It's a good team, but we also have players with a lot of quality. And a very strong team, with a lot of determination. And what we have to do is play in our style, in our positive strengths, against the weaker points of Colombia. There are no perfect teams, there aren't. Colombia is not perfect, it's a great team, but it's not perfect. We are a great team; we are not perfect. But tomorrow is a game where there is no room for mistakes. There are no tomorrows. We have to do everything right for 90 minutes. And that's it, 120 minutes, if that's the case. And that's what will happen. We don't have to create a lot of fantasy and speculate about the game. It's a great football game, we know that it's all for the winner, nothing for the loser. So, there is a change of attitude during the game, because that creates a lot of pressure. But the pressure of a game like this is not a problem, it's a privilege. It's a privilege to be here, to play against great players from Colombia, great players from Ghana, on the stage of the best football in the world. So, tomorrow's pressure is part of our lives, and that's what we're going to do.

On enjoying the game

We just have to enjoy and do everything that is in our souls, hearts, so that the Black Stars shine tomorrow, and build the result that we want.

On misunderstanding with Colombia players during his time

I don't know. If you know it, you have to say it. I don't have that vision. What I can say about the past is that I enjoyed it a lot, I loved it a lot. It has been an honour to work in Colombia. As you remember, the time we thought of playing the World Cup qualification, we were not ready to play in the COVID time. It has been a very, very difficult time for everyone, very strange. Strange things happened every day during training and preparation. I take this opportunity to talk about the past, to remember that I and the coaching staff who were working in Colombia tried to do our best in a very difficult situation. I take this opportunity to remember that serving Colombia, our goalkeeper coach died serving Colombia with the damage of COVID after a very big depression. He was left alone in Bogotá for 21 days, locked in a room without support. This is what I have to remember today, so that tomorrow we can celebrate life together. And to remind the Colombian Federation, which has the opportunity to repair what happened to Des Macalina and his family. More than this, it has been a privilege and an honour to work in Colombia. And now, a game like this, we have to celebrate life, because this is the most important thing for us. I am very confident, very sure that tomorrow the winning team will do everything to bring success and happiness to the fans in Ghana, which is the most important thing.

On African teams exiting

Well, it's another challenge for us. We have to improve these stats, Jordan, tomorrow. We have to make it better. So, it is on our shoulders to be sure that we add another African team to the next round. That's our duty.

On injuries

Regarding the injuries, 25 players are fully ready to play. The only player that we are not able to recover from tomorrow is the centre back defender, Kojo Oppong. All the others are fully ready to play.

On fifth World Cup and preparing players mentally to face Colombia

I'm fully ready.  I've been in these situations a couple of times, as you said. Different competitions, but the knockout stage is something special. There is nothing to compare in football when you go to this stage of everything to the winner, nothing to the loser. The real-World Cup starts now for us. These are the games that count and matter. It's not only about talent, but also about character, it's about attitude, courage, bravery during 90 minutes. In this game, there are no guys that are brave or others that are not brave. It's just guys that last more than 10 minutes than the others. This is exactly what we are doing with the players, to make them ready to be always one step ahead of the game, one jump more, one run more, one sprint more, one better pass. We have to play the game. This is my experience. We know it is a lot of pressure. We don't need to bring more pressure for us. We have to be sure that when the game starts, I have to be sure that my players really enjoy playing the game. They enjoy every challenge, every pass, every strike on goal, every single duel. When we start to win those small things in the game, we start to build the result that we expect.

On choosing between Ati-Zigi who is back and Benjamin Asare

I appreciate your considerations, but the only answer that I can give you is wait and see tomorrow. That's a decision that I don't want to announce here in advance. Because first of all, the players should be the first ones to know. Secondly, I will never do that in front of the Colombian press. They will inform the coach immediately. So, I will not do that here. I don't make comments about that. And as you know, I don't talk specifically about players. I talk about one player, which is the team. The team of Colombia and the team of Ghana are the only things that matter. Not specific players.

On the kind of injury suffered by Kojo Oppong  

The reason is injury. He's out of the game. Out of the game. He cannot be even in the bench.

On African teams conceding late

The concerns that I have related with the last minute are exactly the same with the first minute. We can start to win games in the first minute or lose them in the first minute. Win in the last minute or lose in the last minute. We won some games in the last minute. So, it's part of the package. At the end of the game, special 10 minutes, first half and 10 minutes, second half, a lot of goals happen in the game. And this is not only related with concentration. It is also related with fatigue, with the dynamic of the game. When other teams play full risks in terms of attacking decisions. That's the beauty of the game. That's the drama of the game. To turn one result in your favour in the last minutes of the game. That's why this is the most beautiful game in the world.

On Ghana’s strengths

I think it's nothing new if I announce something that the entire world knows. The Ghanaian players, they are very skilful, explosive. They are players with amazing accelerations in the game. Very strong in one-on-one situations. But something that this team is showing is the heart and soul. They are brave people. And they are players that fight until the end to build a result. So, this is in the DNA of these boys in Ghana. It's nothing that you can build or you can buy. It's something that is in the blood of them. They are really great fighters. And I'm very proud to be their coach.

On the Colombia team that played against DR Congo, Uzbekistan and Portugal

It is a team that today is very well organised, with a lot of discipline with very good players in all their positions. And they have made changes since Juan Cuadrado's time until now. Changes that have brought another dimension to the team. And the team is playing very well. I have made a very careful observation of the Colombian team against Portugal. And they have been very good. That's what I can say. But tomorrow is another story. Tomorrow it is not Portugal that is ahead of Colombia. It is Ghana. And we are going to play our style, with our strength. And I'm sure we're going to bring more problems to Colombia during the game.

On James Rodriguez

Well, you know more than I do, for sure.  I don't know what your sources are, that you don't connect with me. This is a situation that you have to talk to him, not me. My job as a coach is to get the best out of all the players on the pitch. If they are doing well on the pitch, that's my job. That's what I want from everyone. I don't have a different position for one or the other. I don't care. All players have to work. They have to work as a team. They have to play well, train well and then the decisions come to the game. The comment you make surprises me because I'm sure you have personal information that I don't have.

On enjoying himself as Ghana head coach

Tomorrow I'll play, I guess, 265 international games. Only two coaches in the world, they play more games than me. I collect 142 wins. Nobody in football history wins international matches more than me. If I'm not in a position to enjoy what I'm doing here when am I going to do that after this journey? So, regarding the moment, what is important for me is to enjoy as much as possible this wonderful life in football. And be sure that my tomorrow is the World Cup number six in Portugal and Morocco and Spain.

GFA COMMUNICATIONS