The Players Are Disappointed- Hughton Discloses

Black Stars Head Coach Chris Hughton has disclosed his boys are displeased with the outcome of their second group match in the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) tournament.

In a post-match press conference, he said the players went into the game looking for a win following their loss to Cape Verde in their first.

Some defensive lapses in the domain of Ghana gifted Egypt two free goals denying the Black Stars the lead twice and ending the game in a 2-2 stalemate at the Felix Houphouet Boigny Stadium on Thursday night.

“The dressing room was a very disappointed dressing room because this was a better opportunity for us to get three points,” he told the press.

He also admitted his frustration over the outcome but indicated that mistakes are part of every game.

“As a coach in a group of players, you feel frustrated because I think we deserved to win. Mistakes in the game are part of the game and you hope you make less mistakes. Sometimes teams make a lot of mistakes and the opposition doesn’t capitalize on them. Two mistakes we made today and the opposition capitalized on them all. It’s part of the game and you have to try and limit it.”

“We played so well, I think. Going on from that first game, it was a very good opportunity for us to get three points.”

According to him, the good performance displayed by the Ghanaian side emanated from his insistence on it.

“After the first performance against Cape Verde, I asked the players for a better performance. More commitment, and more running to give ourselves a better chance of winning this game. I don’t think I can fault the players. I don’t think I can fault the aptitude.”

Ghana is still rooted in the bottom of Group B while Egypt maintained their second spot with two points.