Former Black Stars skipper Asamoah Gyan has slammed his substitution in the final of the Africa Cup of Nations in Angola in 2010.
He said he found that substitution unthinkable because it came just after substitute Gedo got Egypt’s goal, the eventual winner.
He said he would have been content if a striker came on, in search of a goal.
Gyan expressed these sentiments on Onua TV in an interview with Captain Smart on Monday, April 15.
The former Sunderland FC striker said he had told his team mates early that morning that he would score in that final.
Before then, Gyan had scored both of Ghana’s quarter-final and semi-final goals against Angola and Nigeria respectively.
He told the host of Onua Maakye that the Egyptians even knew, for a strange reason, that he would score against them in the game.
But he said right after the Egyptians were celebrating their goal, he saw the fourth official raise Number 3 on the substitution board.
“I was pained because I predicted I will score. So, when they scored and were celebrating, I saw the No. 3 on the substitution board.
“It is one of the weirdest substitutions I have ever seen in my entire career. And in 87th minute [if] you are substituting, you removed a strike and brought in a defender,” he said, referring to how Eric Addo was brought in to replace him.
"The weirdest substitution I have seen."@ASAMOAH_GYAN3 slams 87th minute substitution by Milovan Rajevac in the #AFCON2010 final.#OnuaSports pic.twitter.com/DGZV3adI5B
— #OnuaSports (@OnuaSports) April 15, 2024
He said it was a match the Black Stars had dominated after earlier defending in most games played in the tournament.
The former Liberty Professionals player said the tournament was christened a ‘One Goal Project’ for the Black Stars as a result of their defensive play.
But in a match the team dominated and opened up, Gyan stressed, he was confident of scoring.
As predicted, he said he scored on his return to his club and told his national team mates that that was the goal he wanted to score at the Nations Cup.
Gyan was named in the tournament Best XI with Richard Kingson and Kwadwo Asamoah making the reserve team.
He led Ghana to the finals of the tournament five years later in Gabon/Equatorial Guinea.
