Grant: Ghana were better than Cote d'Ivoire

The Black Stars were beaten 9-8 on penalties by the Elephants, but their Israeli coach felt they had done enough to win

Ghana boss Avram Grant claimed that the better side lost in Sunday's Africa Cup of Nations final with Cote d'Ivoire.

The Black Stars were beaten 9-8 on penalties, with the game in Equatorial Guinea having finished scoreless after 120 minutes.

Grant was devastated by the defeat but felt that he could not have asked any more from his young side.

"We did great things and I'm happy with my team but with penalties, these things happen," the coach, who also lost the Champions League final on penalties during his time at Chelsea, is quoted as saying by L'Equipe.

"We were the better side tonight, but we lost. However, we can be proud of ourselves."

Ghana captain Asamoah Gyan was just as deflated by his side's defeat but feels that he and his team-mates proved that the future is bright for the Black Stars.

"We had the chance to win tonight but that's football," the striker added. "We apologise for that.

"I'm very sad but I cannot fault our performance. We have young players who are very good, so we hope that we can come back stronger."