Switzerland defender says 30 degrees heat played a role in Ghana victory

Switzerland defender Silvan Widmer says the heat in Abu Dhabi made it difficult for him and his teammates to play well against Ghana.

The Swiss were handed their first defeat in four games after losing 2-0 to the Black Stars in an international friendly on Thursday morning.

Ghana dominated the game for large spells, with second-half goals from Mohammed Salisu and Antoine Semenyo settling matters.

Speaking in the aftermath of the game, Widmer said his side struggled with the heat after the game was played in the afternoon.

“We saw an even game between two teams who couldn’t go as fast as they could because of the heat,” the defender said, as quoted by 3sports.

“That’s a losing game, bottom line. Playing at two in the afternoon (2:00pm) when it’s over 30 degrees is difficult. We did well in terms of positions, especially in the first half.”

Meanwhile, Ghana midfielder Daniel Kofi Kyereh has congratulated team captain Andre Ayew for becoming the Black Stars’ most-capped player.

Ayew was named in the starting line-up as Otto Addo’s side coasted to an impressive victory against Switzerland in a pre-World Cup friendly.

By featuring in the game, the 32-year-old reached 110 appearances for Ghana, making history as his country’s most-capped player.

In the aftermath of the game, the Al Sadd forward was honoured with a commemorative jersey by the Ghana Football Association (GFA).

Kyereh, who made an impactful substitute appearance against the Swiss, also took to social media to congratulate Ayew on his latest milestone.

The Freiburg midfielder eulogised his national team captain in an Instagram post, writing: “Legend. Congrats bro Andre Ayew.”

Meanwhile, the Black Stars will hope to carry their form against Switzerland into their opening World Cup group game against Portugal next week.

Otto Addo’s side is paired in a difficult group that also contains South Korea and Uruguay in Qatar.

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