Ghana’s Black Meteors coach, Ibrahim Tanko, has accepted that Morocco deserved their victory in the U-23 African Cup of Nations match on Tuesday night.
Tanko acknowledged the difference in rest days, with Ghana having only one day of rest compared to Morocco’s two, which resulted in the Ghanaian 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 high level of respect towards Morocco might have contributed to their defeat.
“We showed them a lot of respect, and they punished us for that.”
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Tanko highlighted a similar situation with Congo, who faced a similar fate due to Guinea having an extra day of rest. This further emphasized the importance of proper rest and recovery for the teams.
“You saw how Congo also suffered 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-day preparation period. He emphasized the significance of both Ghana and Guinea performing well to have a chance of advancing 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 an opportunity to make it to the next stage, so both teams will prepare diligently 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, thereby missing the opportunity to qualify for the Olympic Games.
The crucial match between Ghana and Guinea is scheduled to take place on Friday, June 30.
