Skipper Yaw Yeboah is optimistic that the Black Meteors will go all out for a win against Egypt and boost Ghana’s chances of making it to the semi-final stage of the U-23 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) championship underway in Egypt.
The National U-23 team came back from a goal down to secure a 1-1 draw in Friday’s opening match against Cameroon at the Cairo International Stadium on Friday.
After a barren first half, the Cameroonians took the lead in the 59th minute after Frank Evina’s free kick curled in from the edge of the box.
Ghana came close to finding the equalizer after Kwabena Owusu received a pass inside the box and curled it inches wide.
Captain Yaw Yeboah came off in the second half and his replacement Evans Osei Wusu did not waste time in making an impact in the game.
The Black Meteors finally managed to break through the Cameroonian defence after Habib Mohammed forced a shot in to draw Ghana level with just three minutes left in the game.
But Ghana’s captain Yeboah is confident that the team will correct their mistakes and come into today’s match against Egypt with determination to secure a win.
“We will correct our mistakes and train hard to avoid the mistakes we made in the first game”, he told www.ghanafa.org after Friday’s game.
Yeboah admitted that the opening minutes of Friday’s match was difficult because the team needed time to get used to the pitch at the Cairo International Stadium and the official ball for the competition.
“Every first game of the tournament is difficult. It was a new environment; new pitch and even a new ball and we have some new players in our squad so our performance in the opening minutes wasn’t because of low confidence.
“We are now used to the ball and used to the pitch and the environment. We know winning in the next match could propel us to the next and nothing will stop us from going for the win”, he added.
His substitution in the second half, he said, was a precautionary and to prepare him for the team’s upcoming matches.
“I had a knock in the second half which really affected my play and I had to come out of the game for treatment and to ensure that I get fit for our next crucial games”, explained Yeboah.
Ahead of today’s match, the Black Meteors skipper has called on Ghanaians to continue supporting the team as they fight for a ticket to represent Africa at the 2020 Olympic Games.
“The first game has given us confidence. Ghanaians should believe in us to get the win on Monday and qualify us to the next round”, the midfielder reiterated.
Ghana’s match against Egypt will kick off at 8pm local time (6pm GMT) today after the Cameroon match against Mali.
