Ambitious Badu eager to lead Ghana past Zambia
Evelyn Badu insists she is not under any pressure to inspire Ghana to the fourth round of the African qualifiers for the 2022 FIFA U20 Women's World Cup after a 0-0 first leg draw with Zambia in Lusaka.
The 19-year-old forward inspired Hassacas Ladies to November's maiden TotalEnergies Caf Women's Champions League second-place finish and snapped up the golden boot, scoring five goals in five games.
With growing fears of a likely upset in the second leg at home, the Champions League breakthrough star says she is not facing any heat in her quest to lead her side through to the next phase of the competition in Cape Coast.
"There's no pressure on me at all. Football is just a normal game, with movement and passing," Badu told CAFOnline.com.
"I'm very much relaxed and looking forward to the match. Although, it is a crucial match there is no pressure whatsoever on me. I will do my best to help take my team very far in the competition.
"I'm not just the only player in the team, so I have to team up with other members of the squad to push the country very far in the competition."
On Saturday, the Black Princesses will be hoping to keep alive their World Cup dreams when they host the Zambians in the third round, second leg contest.
Despite her disappointment at the drab first leg draw, the Ghanaian captain spoke on how crucial the second leg meeting is and further reiterates her team's determination to excel on home ground.
"The game against Zambia is not going to be easy for us," the forward, who won a 2021 domestic quadruple with Hasaacas continued**.**
"We know if we want to keep ourselves in the competition, we need to win tomorrow against Zambia. As a team, we are determined to give our best to win the match.
"In the first leg in Zambia, I felt luck was not on our side. We put in our best but unfortunately, we didn't get the result we wanted.
"As players, we saw how the Zambians came out against us in the first match, and for us to conquer them in the second leg, we have to follow and execute the tactical instructions of our coaches.
"It is our first qualifying match at home and everyone will be keen to come out to watch and support us. So we are not going to disgrace ourselves. We will make sure we raise high the image of Ghana."
Ghana need a win of any margin against the Zambians to advance as Badu aim to lead her country to a sixth outing at Costa Rica 2022.