Christian Atsu says Kenya deserved to win 2019 AFCON Group F qualifier

Ghana winger Christian Atsu says Kenya deserved the 1-0 win over the Black Stars on Saturday in a 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier at the Kasarani Stadium.

The Harambee Stars were fortunate to get a 40th-minute own goal from Nicholas Opoku to defeat the four-time African champions.

Despite playing the greater part of the second half with ten men, Kenya defended well to pick their first win in Group F after two matches.

Atsu, who plays for English Premier League side Newcastle United, is not begrudging Kenya for were ultra-defensive.

"This is a very disappointing result for us but this is football. We know Kenya has a good team and they deserved to win," Astu said.

"In modern football, you can’t say Ghana has to beat Kenya just like that. The game has to finish before you know the result."

However, Atsu downplayed suggestions that this defeat can hurt their chances of reaching the finals next year in Cameroon.

"This is behind our backs now and we have to go back and analyze our mistakes. We need to know what we didn’t do right and correct for the next game," he added.

"I am very certain we will qualify for the Cup of Nations. We have four more games to play and those are many points."