According to Ibrahim Tanko, the coach of Ghana’s U-23 team, the reason for their disappointing performance against Morocco on Tuesday night was the lack of sufficient rest for his players. The Black Meteors endured a humiliating 5-1 defeat in their second match of the U-23 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), significantly reducing their chances of advancing to the next stage. Unlike Morocco, who had a rest day on Saturday after winning their previous game against Guinea, Ghana had to play on Sunday, defeating Congo 3-2, leaving them with just a single day to prepare for the match against Morocco. Tanko attributed the team’s defeat to fatigue, highlighting the limited time they had to train compared to their opponents. He also acknowledged that his team showed a great deal of respect towards Morocco, which ultimately worked against them.
Tanko expressed, “Morocco’s victory was well-deserved, but we had only one day of rest while they had two. The players were fatigued.” He further remarked, “We showed them a lot of respect, and they capitalized on that.” Tanko also pointed out that Congo faced a similar fate as Ghana since Guinea had an additional day of rest. In order to progress to the next round of the competition and fulfill their objective of securing one of the three available spots in the AFCON, ensuring qualification for next year’s Olympic Games in Paris, Ghana must now secure a victory against Guinea in their final group game on Friday.