Ghana Head Coach Charles Akonnor has lauded the performance of his charges despite Tuesday’s defeat to the Falcons of Jediane Sudan in the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations Qualifier.
The Black Stars after registering a 2-0 home triumph last week against Sudan lost narrowly in the reverse fixture on Tuesday in Omdurman as Mohamed Abdel Rahman scored in the second minute of injury time to secure all three points for his side.
The defeat at the Al-Hilal Stadium has delayed Ghana’s qualification for the final tournament in Cameroon. A win or a draw would have confirmed the Black Stars’ place at the continental gathering.
Ghana still sits top in Group C despite the defeat but now tied on nine points with South Africa.
According to Akonnor, despite losing to their Sudanese counterparts he saw an improvement in his team’s play despite a slim margin defeat to Sudan.
“I think in all we did well, we lost to a team that showed more hunger than us, “he said after the game.
“If I look at the way we played in Ghana, and the way we played here, I feel there is a bit of improvement in terms of containing pressure and all that,” he added.
Ghana missed the services of all three captains namely, Andre Ayew, Thomas Partey and Richard Ofori due to various reasons and according to the former Asante Kotoko trainer, the team missed their services.
“Those who had the chance to play did their part but unfortunately it wasn’t enough for us to carry the day.
“Of course we played without many key players, the likes of the captain (Andre Ayew), Kudus and other people. And so looking at all this, I believe that we did well,” he concluded.
Ghana, with three wins out of four games, still sit top of their qualifying group tied on points with second-placed South Africa.
Sudan trails the two teams by 3 points occupying the third spot while Sao Tome and Principe are without a point so far.
Source: Mybrytfmonline/Sylvester Ntim
