The Black Stars’ head coach, Chris Hughton, has stated that his team’s progress in the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), which is being held in Côte d’Ivoire, depends on how well they perform in their next matchup against the Pharaohs of Egypt.
Hughton’s team lost 2-1 against Cape Verde in their opening match of the tournament, sending them to the bottom of Group B with no points, while Cape Verde leads the group with three points. Following their 2-2 draw, Egypt and Mozambique each have one point apiece. Hughton was disappointed with his team’s defensive performance, conceding two goals.
According to him, the results were not what they desired, and they would make amends in their next encounter.
“Going into the Egypt game, it is a game that we need to have good results from, and that has to be the mentality. The players have to be aware of what this means and how disappointed Ghanaians are. We have no choice but to get favourable results against Egypt,” he said.
Chris Hughton further stated that they would continue to train hard to solve their defensive discrepancies so that they would be much stronger in subsequent matches.
The Black Stars of Ghana would take on seven-time winners Egypt in Thursday’s crucial encounter at the Stade Félix-Houphouët-Boigny before taking on Mozambique in the last group match.
