Injured Essien in doubt for Ghana at African Cup
Ghana midfielder Michael Essien is in doubt for his country's last
group game at the African Cup of Nations after injuring a knee in
training.
The Chelsea midfielder had only returned from more than a
month out due to a hamstring injury in Ghana's 3-1 loss to Ivory
Coast on Friday.
Essien was taken to a Luanda hospital on Sunday to undergo
checks, team spokesman Randy Abbey told the Associated Press.
"He picked up a knock at training and was taken to the
hospital," he said. "We don't know the extent of the injury, but he
has been released and rejoined his teammates at the hotel. He is
now resting."
Ghana must beat Burkina Faso on Tuesday to reach the African
Cup quarterfinals.
Essien arrived in Angola on Wednesday after poor weather in
England delayed his flight. He started from the bench against Ivory
Coast and played for 45 minutes.
The Black Stars midfielder only returned to training last
week with Chelsea after being injured during the club's final
Champions League group match against Apoel Nicosia at Stamford
Bridge on Dec. 8.
Ghana's scheduled opener earlier this week was canceled after
Togo pulled out of the tournament following a deadly attack against
its team bus.
Each team in the Group B play only two games with the top two
teams reaching the knockout phase.
Ivory Coast is already qualified with four points from two
games, three more than Burkina Faso.
"We must do our best to prepare for this game against Burkina
Faso and win it," Ghana coach Milovan Rajevac said.