Ghana World Cup team plays for home after deadly floods

KANSAS CITY, MO — Ghana will have a chance to make history in the World Cup round of 32 on Friday, July 3.

The Black Stars will take on Colombia at 9:30 p.m. ET. But the hearts of the Ghana players are reserved for back home, captain Jordan Ayew said.

This week, Ghana has endured catastrophic flooding. According to Ghana’s National Fire Service, at least 12 people have died as of Tuesday, June 30.

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Heavy rains have flooded Ghana’s capital city of Accra. More than 400 people have been rescued.

“Everyone is aware because we are Ghanaians and we check the news,” Ayew said. “We want to sympathize with our people, Accra especially. It has not been an easy last couple of days for everyone.”

Ayew shared that the team has spoken together about the events in their home country. It’s only fueling them to put on a strong performance.

“We know what is at stake tomorrow,” Ayew said. “It’s motivation for us to make our people proud and that’s the most important thing.”

Ghana has advanced past the World Cup group stage on two previous occasions, reaching the quarterfinals in 2010.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Ghana World Cup team plays for home after deadly floods