England manager Fabio Capello has praised the Black Stars of Ghana after an earth-shaking performance last Tuesday night in an international friendly against his side at the New Wembley Stadium in London.

Speaking to the press after match, he described the encounter as “a fantastic game”, adding that the competitive nature of the match robbed it of a friendly international.

“It was not a friendly game. It was a good game, a fast game.”

He said riding on the back of a successful 2010 World Cup campaign, Ghana was now a confident side, which also “came along with a passionate crowd”.

Before the match, the Italian said, “Ghana are really an interesting team. They have a lot of physical strength and technical ability, and were very close to reaching a World Cup semifinal last summer.

“They have a strong spirit and enjoyed the support of the entire continent as they reached the latter stages of the competition. And the over 20,000 supporters (for Ghana) at Wembley will make for a good atmosphere.”

He justified why he rested some key players like John Terry for the Ghana game, saying that it was important for fans to see new players. Capello intimated that Liverpool striker Andy Carroll needed more time to get to ‘that level’, adding that Jack Wilshere was exceptionally talented.

“All these players would in the near future provide competition and that would also make the known players to step up to the plate.” At the press conference on Tuesday night, when Capello was asked why he hurriedly selected Danny Welbeck for the game when he knew the talented youngster had a Ghanaian parentage, he said: “I work for England. I never bother myself with the problems between England and Ghana with regard to the player. He (Welbeck) is very good, very talented and confident; that is why I selected him. And I think he will be a very important player for England.”

In an interview with Daily Guide Sports at the mixed zone, Danny Welbeck said it was a good feeling to debut for England; but he was still thinking about the possibility of playing for the Black Stars, on account of what Sunderland team-mates Asamoah Gyan, Sulley Muntari and John Mensah have told him about the Ghana national team.