AFCON Qualifiers: Black Stars must improve on first leg performance – Coach Ebenezer Sefa

The Black Stars must improve on their performance at the Cape Coast Stadium on Friday if they are to pick a win against Sudan today, November 17, 2020, coach Ebenezer Sefa has said.

A place in next year’s AFCON is in sight as Ghana take on Sudan in the second leg of the 2021 AFCON qualifiers.

The Black Stars have a 100% record in the qualifiers so far, winning all three of their matches.

Previewing the game in a GhanaWeb interview, coach Ebenezer Sefa said that Sudan will be motivated to beat the Black Stars because they are playing at home.

He urged the team to be compact and not leave gaps for the Sudanese to explore.

“We watched the Sudanese here and saw how they play. In the game that was played at Cape Coast, what mattered was the three points and Andre Dede Ayew scored twice to ensure that we won. At Cape Coast, we didn’t press well. If we go and play the way we did in Cape Coast, the Sudanese will beat us”.

Coach Sefa is however optimistic of the team’s chances due to the presence of Mubarak Wakso and Majeed Ashimeru who missed the first leg.

“I believe CK will be very tactful. We shouldn’t open the game too much and frustrate the Sudanese. We have Jordan upfront who will hold up play very well and link up with his team. The arrival of Wakaso and Ashimeru is also good”.

Meanwhile, Black Stars coach CK Akonnor has urged his players to be cautious of their movement and shape when the ball is with their opponents.

“We need a balance. The right balance in attack and defense. In our first game, we found ourselves struggling when we lost possession and that is what we have worked on since the last match.

“And so, we are looking forward to improving in that area because we gave the opponent a bit of counter-attack situations. And of course, we expect them to come with two strikers, they are playing home, they need to win etc and so we need to better in that area and I think once we are good in that area, we will find a good situation,” he concluded.