Black Meteors coach Ibrahim Tanko is optimistic about his team’s chances of reaching the U-23 Africa Cup of Nations last four at the expense of Guinea after a 5-1 loss to Morocco last Tuesday.
Ghana had a promising start to the tournament with a victory over Congo, but their confidence was shattered by the resounding loss against Morocco.
Tanko is determined to rally his team for their crucial match against Guinea on Friday evening, as a win is vital for their progression.
In an exclusive interview with Onua FM’s Alfred Takyi Mensah in Morocco, Coach Ibrahim Tanko expressed his belief in his players’ ability to bounce back from the Morocco defeat and secure a victory against Guinea.
“Honestly, I was also surprised by the result against Morocco, but after the game, I told the players not to lose hope because we have another chance to qualify. Looking at the morale in camp, even though this is football, I still believe we will be able to take all three points against Guinea and secure our qualification,” Tanko said.
When questioned about the reasons behind Ghana’s heavy loss to Morocco, Tanko highlighted the difference in rest days between the two teams. “We had a day’s rest, and they had two. You could see from the game between Congo and Guinea how the scoreline ended up, as Congo also had just one day of rest,” he explained.
Despite the setback, Tanko emphasised that there is still hope for the Black Meteors in the tournament. “We still have a chance in this tournament; we have one last game, so we are going to prepare for that,” he added.