Black Starlets coach reveals reason behind their defeat to Nigeria
Black Starlets
Assistant coach of the Black Starlets, Nana Kweku Agyemang, has attributed their loss to Nigeria to “preparatory mistakes.”
Ghana suffered a narrow 3-2 defeat against Nigeria’s Golden Eaglets in the third and fourth playoff match held at the University of Ghana Stadium.
Reflecting on the match, Agyemang highlighted concerns with the team’s defensive strategy, particularly in the central defensive positions.
He pointed out instances where the centre-backs deviated from their designated areas, leaving gaps in the defense.
“Throughout the tournament, we had weaknesses with the centre-backs; both centre-backs we had difficulties.”
“If you take the second goal, for example, we’ve taught them to protect the middle of the penalty area which includes the other fullback. In this case, you saw both centre-backs moving out of those areas to try and protect the areas that the midfielders were supposed to.”
He emphasized that these “preparatory mistakes” in defensive organization were pivotal in their loss against Nigeria.
“So preparatory mistakes cost us in terms of the way we defended against Nigeria,” he added.
With this defeat, the Black Starlets’ aspirations for the 2025 U-17 AFCON are thwarted, as the Confederation of African Football (CAF) mandates a 12-team tournament format.