Disappointment today as host Manucho crashed out of the African Nations in a Cup competition, with the Michael Essien-less Black Stars of Ghana defeating him 1-0. The Man was badly let down by his teammates, who conceded one and failed to score any, despite the inordinate amount of attention the big striker received from the clearly terrified Ghanaians.
Ghana's Serbian coach, Radoslav Mihailovic, had stated before the match that he would quintuple-team Manucho, leaving only five outfield players and a goalkeeper to combat the other Angolans, several of whom are not professional footballers. "What else can I do?" the Serb asked at this morning's press conference. "He's fecking Manucho, for feck's sake."
Goalscorer Asamoah Gyan was sanguine in victory. "I'm just relieved we got past him. If you had told me before the Cup that we could beat him, I never would have believed you. This is a great victory for all of Ghana. Have you even seen the guy? He is enormous."
What next for Manucho? If he is not able to forgive the teammates who so badly let him down, he can always find 10 more. But perhaps he will find mercy in his heart, and while he ponders the future of the Manucho national team, he will return to his club team (also Manucho), who without him were defeated 3-0 yesterday by Barcelona.
Incredulous Ghanaians rejoice after defeating Manucho.