Former Ghana international Yaw Acheampong has defended Andre Dede Ayew after missing a penalty kick during Uruguay game at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
The Al Sadd forward missed a penalty in the 21st minute as his kick was saved by Uruguay goalkeeper Sergio Rochet following a foul on Mohammed Kudus.
Uruguay went on to win the game 2-0 thanks to goals from Giorgio de Arrascaeta in the 26th and 32nd minutes of the game but it was not enough as teams went out of the tournament.
“It was very sad because Messi also missed a penalty. I think Lewandoski also missed a penalty but it’s up to us to be behind the player [Ayew] when something like that happens," Acheampong told Citi Sports.
“When Messi missed a penalty, the whole national players were behind him and made sure they motivated the team.
He added, "Motivation has different factors and one of the major factors is the fans and the media."
"I believe though we lost, people were saying it was because of the penalty. But after the penalty, we had a lot of chances and we should have put the ball in the net so we don’t have to blame everything on the penalty."
Ghana finished bottom of Group H with three points, losing two and winning one.