Ghana coach Walker Annor was dismayed following his side’s 2-0 loss to Niger in the last quarter-final at the TotalEnergies African Nations Championship (CHAN) 2022.
Annor, who was visibly distraught at the post-match press conference, lamented that “I am really down. I never expected to lose this match. Even at 2-0 down, we failed to score even just one goal. It is a very big blow for us as a team.
“The Nigeriens were taking the 50/50 balls. They were determined. You could see that they were determined to win this match at all costs and when they got an early goal, it gave them more determination and, on our side, it demoralised us.
The Black Galaxies were without poster boy Daniel Barnieh Afriyie who was red-carded in their last game against Sudan in the group stages.
When asked about his absence, Walker said, “Seriously I don’t know what to say because I am short of words. It is a very big blow losing this match but everything that God does is good.
“I have confidence in my players, but we have to give credit to Niger. I watched their game against Cameroon but today, they changed the way that they played.
“The early goal really demoralized us and when we conceded the second goal, we struggled to come back and eventually lost. I don’t think we deserved to lose.”
After his speech, Annor walked away with his face down and was sad beyond comforting. This was Ghana’s fourth appearance at the continental competition organized for players that feature in the domestic leagues in Africa.
