Black Stars head coach Carlos Queiroz insists Ghana’s 2-0 defeat to Côte d’Ivoire will not affect the team’s morale or belief ahead of their next 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifier against The Gambia.
Ghana conceded twice in Bouaké, including a penalty, as Queiroz suffered defeat in his first competitive game in charge on Thursday, September 24. Despite the result, the Portuguese coach said he was proud of how his players responded to the challenges they faced.
“I am very proud of my team, very proud of my players, the way they fought, the way they played, the way they fought against adversity,” Queiroz said.
He also dismissed concerns that the defeat could affect the squad’s confidence.
“This result will not affect our morale and our belief in our players. It doesn’t affect absolutely anything,” he said.
Queiroz admitted that recovering from two goals down was difficult, particularly against a strong Côte d’Ivoire side.
“To recover from 1-0 down is completely different from recovering from 2-0 down,” he said.
The coach has now urged his players to quickly put the defeat behind them and focus on the next qualifier.
“The result is now gone, it is history. For us now, it is just recovery,” he said.
“We have to recover our players and be focused for the next game and win the next game at home. That is what we are going to do now.”
