Head coach of Ghana's Black Stars, Milovan Rajevac has defended his decision to play a defensive game in a nerve-wracking quarter finals against host Angola that saw his side winning by a lone goal at the 11th November Sports Stadium on Sunday.
Speaking at a post-match press conference, the Coach said his decision to adopt that strategy was influenced by his knowledge of his opponents, saying; "I watched them several times and decided to approach the game that way."
"I realized they are very good in the air and on the right side of defence. And they enjoy crossings from the flanks and attack all the time,” he said.
"When your opponents attack a lot, they leave spaces at the back and that was what we capitalized on to score the only goal and it was good for us because it helped us to stick to our game plan throughout the 90 minutes. We wanted to catch them on the break again in the course of the game to score the second goal but they defended well", Coach Rajevac added.
According to the Coach, the early goal helped in the execution of the Team's game plan because it afforded them the opportunity to defend it, adding that his strategy worked to perfection.
The Coach said his players were also tactical on the day and played to his instructions and this also aided them in securing the victory over the Host Nation.
The Serbian Coach also explained that the absence of midfielders Michael Essien and Anthony Annan also affected his game plan for the competition.
"We would have played in a different way if the two had been available for the
competition. You all know how they play and we missed them a lot," he stated.
Coach Rajevac was, however, quick to point out that it will not be the style of the Team for the rest of the competition but he would vary it based on the strength of his opponents.
Touching on either Zambia or Nigeria as his possible opponents, the Coach said he would have to take another look at the two teams and decide on how to approach any of them.
"It will definitely not be an easy task but the boys are in a very competitive spirit and this will aid them to win the next game," he said.
"We have two days to prepare for the next game on Thursday, and we will decide on how to handle the game. I'm confident we are on course to make a significant impact in the competition,” he told GNA Sports.
Source: GNA
DISCLAIMER: The Views, Comments, Opinions, Contributions and Statements made by Readers and Contributors on this platform do not necessarily represent the views or policy of Multimedia Group Limited.
Tags:
Latest Stories
-
‘When Abrantie BoG came, the cedi is now trading at GHȼ16 to a dollar’ – Mahama teases Bawumia
8 mins -
Al Fayed’s son ‘horrified’ by sexual abuse allegations
13 mins -
Agyapa Mercer unveils Ghana’s first Creative Arts Hall of Fame in Sekondi
13 mins -
Bright Simons: Bank of Ghana sweats to impress the IMF about cedi’s woes
21 mins -
Mahama accuses Sanitation Ministry of squandering $43m World Bank grant, $150m GARID funds
25 mins -
GPL 2024/25: Samartex return from Africa with sight on Vision FC
1 hour -
Ashimeru praises Vincent Kompany’s early success at Bayern Munich
1 hour -
Jintao Sanitary Ware Ghana Limited begins operations in Takoradi
1 hour -
Zamalek beat Al Ahly on penlaties to win 2024 CAF Super Cup
2 hours -
Elisha Owusu opens Ligue 1 scoring account as Auxerre thump Brest
2 hours -
We need quality products locally; importing to run top hotels increases cost – Labadi Beach Hotel MD
10 hours -
2024/25 GPL: Basake Holy Stars face tough test against Medeama at CAM Park
10 hours -
Kwahu-Nkwatia development chief advocates for peaceful elections
10 hours -
We must declare state of emergency over galamsey, halt all mining – VLK Djokoto
11 hours -
JL Plantations, WES Trade sign MoU to promote commercial agriculture in Ghana
11 hours