Ghana, down and out after their shock semi-final loss to Burkina Faso here Wednesday, will pick thermselves up to face Mali in the third-place play-off, assistant coach Maxwell Konadu said.Ã
Despair was etched all over captain Asamoah Gyanââ¬â¢s face at the post-match à press conference following the 3-2 penalty shootout loss to a team ranked 66 à rungs below them in FIFAââ¬â¢s world table.
The defeat leaves them heading down to Port Elizabeth for the bronze-medal à tie on Saturday rather than lining up in Sowetoââ¬â¢s Soccer City 24 hours later à against Nigeria in the final.
Ghana arrived at the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations with high hopes of securing à their first title for 31 years, but instead face a repeat of last year when à they finished fourth after losing 2-0 to Mali in a play-off.
Konadu said it was up to him, head coach Kwesi Appiah and the rest of the à technical staff to lift the playersââ¬â¢ morale.
ââ¬ÅItââ¬â¢s our responsibility to motivate the team, to encourage them. Weââ¬â¢ll do à our best.ââ¬
Konadu, standing in for Appiah, who was not up to attending the press à conference, added: ââ¬ÅEveryone back home was expecting us to win the Cup, but it à didnââ¬â¢t happen.
ââ¬ÅBut all is not lost. We will go out and fight against Mali for third à place, and then reorganise ourselves for the 2014 World Cup qualifiers.ââ¬
He praised Gyan and the rest of the team for their performance despite the à painful outcome.
ââ¬ÅThe boys did their best but we lost, we will take it as men, and good luck à to Burkina Faso.ââ¬
Appiah, a member of the last Ghana side to win the title in 1982, later à felt up to giving his reaction on domestic television.
ââ¬ÅBurkina are a very, very good team. It was a very competitive game but we à were just unlucky. We had some chances before full-time, but we did not take à them,â⬠he said.
ââ¬ÅWhen it comes to penalties, anything can happen. Unfortunately, we did not à make it.
ââ¬ÅI think the ambition of every coach is to try and win it, and it was my à ambition to try and win it.
ââ¬ÅIââ¬â¢m building the team now and looking at the performances of the players à who did well. There are some young players and the future looks bright.ââ¬
Gyan refused to apportion blame to the Mbombela Stadium pitch, which has à come in for heavy criticism after a fungal infection killed swathes of grass à before the tournament began, leaving it resembling a sandpit.
ââ¬ÅWe cannot find excuses with the pitch we only saw for the first time à before the game. We came here to win but, unfortunately for us, the better side à won on penalties.ââ¬
The former Sunderland striker added: ââ¬ÅIââ¬â¢m proud of the team, we came here à to win this game and go to the final â⬔ weââ¬â¢re all really sad at the moment but à thatââ¬â¢s only normal.
ââ¬ÅWeââ¬â¢ll be down, but we have to psyche ourselves up again for the third à place game. Weââ¬â¢ll try our best.ââ¬
Read more:à Demoralised Ghana seek strength to face Mali - Latest - New Straits Timesà http://www.nst.com.my/latest/demoralised-ghana-seek-strength-to-face-mali-1.214570#ixzz2KBQWdUVY