Ghana’s coach, Ibrahim Tanko, graciously admitted that Morocco deserved their victory in the U-23 African Cup of Nations match on Tuesday night.
Tanko acknowledged the disparity in rest days, with Ghana having only one day of rest compared to Morocco’s two, which led to the players showing signs of fatigue during the game.
“It’s a deserved win for Morocco, but we had one day of rest while they had two days. The players showed fatigue,” Tanko stated. He also recognized that Ghana’s excessive respect for Morocco may have contributed to their defeat.
“We showed them a lot of respect and they punished us for that.”
Tanko pointed out a similar situation with Congo, who also suffered due to Guinea having an extra day of rest. This highlighted the importance of adequate rest and recovery for the teams’ performance.
“You saw how Congo also faced the same fate because Guinea had an extra day to rest.”
Looking ahead to their next match against Guinea, Tanko expressed determination to make good use of the two days they have to prepare for the game. He emphasized the significance of both Ghana and Guinea performing well to have a chance of progressing to the next stage of the tournament.
“Now we have two days before we play our next match, and we will make good use of it.”
Tanko concluded, “Both Ghana and Guinea have a chance of making it to the next stage, so both teams will prepare well for the game. We definitely want to win and qualify for the next stage.”
With the loss to Morocco, Ghana now faces the risk of missing out on advancing to the semi-finals of the U-23 AFCON. Failing to defeat Guinea in their upcoming match would result in Ghana’s elimination at the group stage and a missed opportunity to qualify for the Olympic Games.
