Karim Zito, the head coach of Ghana’s U-20 squad, believes his team’s 2-0 loss to Nigeria in the WAFU Zone B U-20 Championship was due to insufficient preparations and unfavorable weather circumstances in Niger.
On Sunday, May 9, the Black Satellites began their title defense with a loss to their archrivals.
However, Zito believes that the Ghanaian team’s late arrival and lack of participation in enough friendly games, as well as the terrible weather conditions, contributed to their defeat.
“Our brothers came here early, they even had some friendly matches for adaptation. We came in late but all the same, we were beaten by a good side,” the gaffer said.
“They did well, we also had opportunities to score but we could not make it. So this is how it is, we have now tasted the weather to know how it is. We’re going to be more composed and come back.
“Football is always about having an opportunity to make amends. So I’m not downhearted. This is not the end, it is the first and we still have another match to play. We’ll do our best to win and join them to qualify,” he added.
Ghana’s next game at the tournament will be on Saturday, May 14, against Burkina Faso.
