UNITED NATIONS, June 28: UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, a Ghanaian, said his country's performance at this year's World Cup was “just a coming out party.”

“Don't cry for Ghana,” Annan, an avid soccer fan, told reporters after their 3-0 defeat to Brazil in the second round.

“I think tomorrow it will be a different story.”

He noted the 2010 matches would be played “on African soil.”

Annan missed Ghana's win against the US last week because he was flying back from a meeting in Geneva.—Reuters