Michael Essien got the loudest cheers as the Black Stars emerged from the tunnel to train for the first time ahead of Friday’s deciding 2014 World Cup qualifier against Zambia.

The Chelsea ace has opted to stay with the Ghana national team despite the unfortunate news of his father’s passing on Sunday night.

The former Lyon man was amongst 13 players that trained at the Accra Sports Stadium on Monday evening before an impressive gathering of fans and journalists.

Sports Minister Elvis Afriyie Ankrah also made a surprise visit towards the end of the session to share some words of encouragements with the team.

Watch the video below:

Source: GhanaSoccerNet

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