Kwadwo Asamoah, Deputy Captain of the Black Stars is confident of a positive result in the team’s last group game against Guinea Bissau today, July 2, at the ongoing African Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Egypt.
The Inter Milan midfielder said the team would work harder to earn their first win in the tournament having drawn in their two previous games.
Asamoah said this after the Stars’ 0-0 draw with group leaders Cameroon on Saturday evening in Ismalia.
He said the team would work to improve on their previous games to ensure a win against Guinea Bissau, since that would give them the ticket to the next stage of the competition.
“We had a great game but we couldn’t take our chances. When we started we knew definitely they would sit and use counter attacks, that was what they did; sometimes they come on us. So we need to stay compact.
“They guys did well. We need to stay focused and we know we will deliver,” he said.
“We have to prepare well and not do the same mistakes that we did in the last game. We need to work harder. Things didn’t go well for me personally but I’m happy with the performance of the team and we have to focus on our next game. I think we have to do more than today.”
The Black Stars would have to win to ensure automatic qualification to the next phase of the tournament. They are currently second in the group with two points as Benin, whilst Cameroon sit top of the group with four points.
Meanwhile, Kwesi Appiah, Head Coach of the Black Stars has said, his players heeded to his tactics in the goalless draw game against the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon in the ongoing 2019 Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt.
The feisty contest between the two powerhouses of African football saw spoils shared in the penultimate match of Group F, which throws the group wide open with all the teams with a chance to progress to the next round of the competition.
According to Appiah, he devised a strategy to surprise their opponent with the counter-attack and bemoaned the chances wasted.
”Personally I think that, tactically the players played how I wanted them to play. Our tactical play was to try and soak the pressure and rely on counter attacks.
”I knew they had some quick players and most very difficult to close them down when there is a counterattack, but it’s unfortunate we couldn’t utilise our chances,” Appiah said in a post-match presser.
Commenting about the General Captain, Asamoah Gyan, the coach enumerated the significance of having a player of his calibre in the team, as he’s likely to play a crucial role as the tournament progresses.
”Gyan is a great player, he’s been doing well but for every single coach, you look at your training and assess players that can perform in a particular game depending on the opponents you are playing against.
”So, once he is part of my team, the door is always open. He might start some games and some others he may not play, so it depends on the opponent we playing with,” Appiah said. –GNA
