Kickoff (Cape Town)
6 September 2008
Michael Essien will miss the start of Chelsea's Champions League campaign and Ghana's 2010 World Cup qualifier against Lesotho after his role in Ghana's World Cup qualifier against Libya was cut short by injury.
The Black Stars captain on the night wept as he was taken to hospital in an ambulance after he landed awkwardly following a clearance.
"There was no challenge but after I cut out a cross and landed I felt awkward and the pain was sharp. I am devastated but these things happen in football," he told KickOffGhana.com.
The Chelsea star he has no idea how long he will spend on the sidelines but his reaction as he was stretched off and preliminary checks in Tripoli suggest he could be out for up to eight weeks.
He left the Ghana team hotel on clutches on Saturday afternoon with his team mates as Ghana looked back on what could have been with him in the game.
Ghana coach Milovan Rajevac said Essien's injury was a big loss while captain Stephen Appiah said his excitement at making his first Black Stars appearance had been diluted by the injury to the Chelsea man.
"When I noticed it was Essien I was going to replace I felt sad," Appiah told KickOffGhana.com.
"He is such a good player who makes things so easy for those around him."
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