By DPA,
Rustenburg (South Africa) : Ghana coach Milovan Rajevac cautioned his players against complacency Friday before they face Australia in a game that could see them reach the second round of the World Cup football.
After beating Serbia 1-0 in their first Group D game, a win for Ghana would ensure their progress so long as Serbia don’t beat Germany.
“For us this is the match of the season,” Rajevac said. “Although Serbia and Germany are playing on Friday, for us a win is very important.
“So we need to prepare well and concentrate because nothing is over before the last whistle. We need to be very focused and be at our best if we want to get a victory.”
Australia lost their opener 0-4 to Germany, but Rajevac is wary of taking Pim Verbeek’s side lightly.
“For Australia this is their last chance and they will give their best. Australia is a very competitive nation and I’m sure they will do everything to get a win. We are ready for that, we respect them. Australia is a very strong team.
“The performance against Germany did not give a true picture of them. I think they can do much better, they can run much better. Germany scored their goals at good times and afterwards Australia had a red card, so it was easy for them to finish the match and score more goals.”
Striker Asamoah Gyan, who scored the goal against Serbia and hit the post twice, is already looking to go further than Ghana did four years ago in Germany, when Brazil beat them 3-0 in the second round.
“We are better in the world now, too,” he told fifa.com. “In 2006 we did quite well, we went to the next stage, but this time Ghanaians are expecting more from us.
“That is why we are also going like wounded lions. Like a wounded lion, you know? So I’m hoping we just qualify for the next stage and then we see what happens from there.”
Australia will be without the suspended forward Tim Cahill, with forward Harry Kewell vowing his side can turn things around.
“It wasn’t a great effort against Germany but there are two games to go and anything can happen in a World Cup,” he said.
“We were all disappointed but we are all men and we take it on the chin and we go out there and we have got to improve in the game against Ghana.”