AFCON 2023: Coach Chris Hughton says Ghana must beat Mozambique at all cost

Coach of Ghana’s senior national team the Black Stars, Chris Hughton says, the team is aware of the magnitude of Monday’s final group game against Mozambique but must win at all cost.

Speaking to the press ahead of the crucial final encounter in Group B which would ultimately decide Ghana’s progression to the round of 16, he said it would be a very tough game but have no choice than to get all three points.

“We are aware of the magnitude of this game and know this is the game that we have to win. Our preparations going into this game has been the same as the previous one and ready to play the tough match,” he stated.

Ghana must win in order to secure a place in the second round and avoid exiting the competition for the third consecutive time in the group stages.

“We will make sure we put in a level of performance that allows us to win the game. We are all aware of the situation we are currently in. However, the conversation in camp has always been that we need to win,” he stressed.

“The players know what it takes to get the results, there are no easy games in this tournament. We come up against a team that also knows that they have to win the game so we must be physically and mentally prepared for it,” he added.

He admitted that, there was pressure on the team going into the game and needed to use previous situations as motivation as they did against Egypt.

“Players get used to bouncing back from defeat and focusing on looking forward instead of what happened in previous game. We just have to concentrate on the current game and know that it would be a tough game,” he explained.

He said, none of the players wished to be eliminated from this tournament, hence would go all out for the win.
“The most important point is that, we get a winning result to qualify from this group and that is the biggest motivation,” he mentioned.

The team he said, would need to create more opportunities and expect that players would utilise same, to achieve the needed result.

Meanwhile, with support from MTN , some over 150 supporters would be at the Stade Alassane Ouattara in Ebimpe to rally behind the team.

The gesture formed part of the telecommunication giants’ commitment to the national team over the years.

By Michael D. Abayateye, Abidjan

Caption: Coach Chris Hughton