The tears of Kansas City have not clouded Jerome Opoku's conviction.
While the pain of Ghana's World Cup exit still cuts deep for defender Jerome Opoku, the towering centre-back believes the team achieved something few expected before the Black Stars kicked a ball in North America — they restored hope and belief to Ghanaian football.
Amid the disappointment of Ghana’s narrow 1-0 defeat to Colombia at the Kansas City Stadium, Opoku insists the renewed expectations surrounding the Black Stars should be viewed as the clearest sign of the progress made under Coach Carlos Queiroz.
"The fact that people are now disappointed that we've gone out is actually a positive, because before the tournament many thought nothing was going to come from this team," the 27-year-old said in a post-match interview after last Friday’s defeat at the Round of 32.
"For people to now want more from us is a positive."
It is a remarkable shift in sentiment for a side that arrived at the World Cup under a cloud of scepticism after going seven matches without a victory since securing qualification under former coach Otto Addo.
Many predicted an early exit from a daunting Group L featuring England, Croatia and Panama. Instead, Ghana beat Panama, earned an impressive draw against England and reached the knockout stage before eventually succumbing to one of the tournament's form teams.
"We were probably written off before the tournament," reflected Opoku, who made his Ghana debut in a friendly against the USA in October 2023.
"People expected us to be knocked out in the group stage and not get any points. But we got out of the group, and we made Ghana believe again."
For Opoku, the tournament was also a personal breakthrough. With experienced defensive pillars Alexander Djiku and Mohammed Salisu ruled out through injury, the İstanbul Başakşehir defender was thrust into the spotlight alongside Jonas Adjetey in central defence.
It was a daunting assignment on football's biggest stage, yet Opoku embraced it with remarkable composure.
Despite his limited international experience, he marshalled Ghana's back line with the assurance of a seasoned campaigner, helping build a disciplined defensive unit that frustrated some of the world's finest attacking players and earned widespread admiration throughout his first major tournament in national colours.
Standing 1.97 metres tall, Opoku featured in Ghana's opening 1-0 victory over Panama in Toronto before combining superbly with Adjetey to neutralise England's formidable attack — featuring Harry Kane, Jude Bellingham, Anthony Gordon, Bukayo Saka, Noni Madueke and Marcus Rashford — in an accomplished goalless draw in Boston.
Rested for the final group match against Croatia, he returned for the Round of 32 clash against Colombia, where Ghana's defence was forced to withstand relentless pressure from a technically gifted South American side.
Ultimately, however, Opoku believes Ghana's elimination was not caused by defensive shortcomings but by an inability to transform resilience into an attacking threat.
Against Colombia, the Black Stars failed to register a single shot on target — a statistic the defender believes told the story of the contest.
"The details. Passes, attacking play... lots of things," he said when asked what proved decisive.
"We can defend, defend, defend, but if we don't get that one goal to relieve the pressure on the defence, then it's not possible.
"We did it against England. You just need that one goal to take the pressure off. If it doesn't come, then you're defending, defending, defending. You're suffering. We needed something, but it didn't come. That's it."
While acknowledging that "technical details" ultimately undermined Ghana's campaign, Opoku believes the foundations laid during the tournament should not be overlooked.
And for a team many expected to struggle, reaching the knockout phase rekindled belief among supporters and restored a sense of national pride that had been absent in recent months. It is, perhaps, the tournament's greatest paradox.
For Opoku, the disappointment and emotions expressed by Ghanaians after Ghana’s exit are not evidence of failure but rather proof that the Black Stars have reawakened the expectations of a football nation that once feared the worst.
