Ghana coach Appiah admits to Malawi difficulty

By Ameenu Shardow

Ghana coach Akwasi Appiah concedes he was given a real game by Malawi in the 2013 Nations Cup qualifier on Saturday.

The Black Stars managed to record a vital 2-0 win over the Flames at the Accra Sports Stadium but were far from convincing.

And coach Appiah who must simply qualify Ghana for next year’s finals in South Africa admits to a difficult game against a side the Black Stars were supposed to have trounced.

“Malawi is not an ordinary team that we can walk over, tactically they were very disciplined,” he said at the post-match press conference.

“And when that happens then you don’t rush the ball, you change position and try to create spaces for strikers to score.

“We tried to do that but it was difficult because like I said they are a good team.

“They had some bit of possession and they could have even scored.

“We needed to change our tactics and the second half we saw a big difference and I believe we can do better in Malawi.”

The Black Stars now simply have to avoid defeat against Malawi in the return game next month in Blantyre to make the finals that kicksoff in January next year.

But this is not a forgone conclusion on account of play in the first leg encounter at the Accra Sports Stadium.