Ghana To Strive For Place In 10 Remaining AFCON Slots In September

After failing at a win in the qualifier against Madagascar on Sunday, the Black Stars will have a crucial game against the Central African Republic in the ninth month in the hope of securing one of the ten remaining slots in the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).

Chris Hughton’s side needed a win against Malagasy at Stade Kianja Barea in Antananarivo, however, the match ended in a goalless draw.

During a press conference, Coach Hughton described the game as tough and said the team was disappointed at the turn of events.

“The game was tough, just as in every game, there’s no easy game on the continent… Yes, we are very disappointed. We came with an attitude and mindset to win but to win a football match you need to score goals,” a transcript of his briefing said.

He also blamed the pitch for their performance.

“We found it difficult today. The pitch is difficult, it’s an uneven pitch but it’s the same for both teams and we needed to be forceful in the key areas to create more opportunities to score so the fact that we didn’t score is the most disappointing thing.”

So far, 14 nations have booked their tickets for the tournament scheduled for January 2024.

They include Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso, Algeria, Tunisia, Morocco, South Africa, Senegal, Egypt, Zambia, Equatorial Guinea, Nigeria, Guinea-Bissau, Cape Verde and Mali.

There are ten remaining slots.

Ghana will have to win against Central Africa Republic during the next international break.

Coach Hughton is sure of a win as the game will be hosted in Ghana.

“Our strategy for the next match is to win. We are playing at home. We know we have to get the result and obviously, it’s a game we know the consequences if we don’t win. From here, we have a break. The players will have to go back to their clubs and they will start preseason and we will be ready for the game in September.”

He believes players who couldn’t make it due to injuries will be available by then.

“We have some players missing today so hopefully those players will be available in September. We will be going into another difficult game against Central African Republic and we have to win.”