Appiah: This team is special!!

After a few days of reflection on their historic second-round victory over USA, Ghana captain Stephen Appiah told FIFA that the Black Stars are staying themselves: relaxed and happy to be together. Having now gone further in the FIFA World Cup™ than ever before, and with a tricky match with Uruguay up next on Friday, the Bologna midfielder reflected on the values of what he calls "a special team".

"I am warmed by the players," said the 29-year-old from the team's camp outside of Rustenburg. "You can see that there is no tension, no pressure. Always with smiles, singing and laughing – stuff like that. What I've learnt is the more pressure you put on yourself, the more things go wrong. So, I have been telling the guys that they should be free [and that] nobody should even think about the games. Maybe a day or two before, then we have to focus on the game. But, for now, we're relaxed, training, laughing, singing, dancing. I think that's very important."

Handling the world's biggest football tournament in this way has been a consistent refrain from the Black Stars in South Africa. As they were four years ago on their finals debut, Ghana are the only African representatives in the knockout rounds, so they are obviously doing something right. And as anyone who has seen the joy and unity in their post-match celebrations can attest, togetherness is one of the team's hallmarks – not just in word but in spirit.

More story www.fifa.com.