Portugal are not that special - Cameroon assistant coach Ibrahim Tanko asserts after friendly thrashing

Published on: 07 March 2014
Portugal are not that special - Cameroon assistant coach Ibrahim Tanko asserts after friendly thrashing
Cristiano Ronaldo hit a brace against Cameroon

By Ameenu Shardow, follow on Twitter @alooameenu

Assistant coach of Cameroon Ibrahim Tanko insists Portugal are not an exceptional side despite the 5-1 thrashing suffered in an international friendly on Wednesday.

The game played in the Portuguese city of Leiria saw Cristiano Ronaldo hit a brace to become the all-time top scorer for the Selecao.

The 5-1 thrashing handed Cameroon has ignited fear amongst many Ghanaians as the Black Stars will be facing Portugal at the group stage of the 2014 World Cup.

But the Ghanaian assistant coach of the Indomitable Lions Ibrahim Tanko says the flattering scoreline against his side was not the true reflection of the game.

“When you hear 5-1, instinctively some fears will be ignited but we had ourselves to blame for losing our concentration,” he told GHANAsoccernet.com.

“We held our own against the Portuguese team until the 66th minute when our defender gifted the ball to a Portuguese player to make it 2-1 and from there onwards we lost our confidence and concentration.

“It is not as if the Portugal team is exceptional. They have built the team around Cristiano Ronaldo who everyone know is a great player.

“The team plays a counter-attacking style of football where almost all the players get into their own half when they lose the ball and then always trying to find Ronaldo on a quick break when they regain possession.”

Ghana will be facing Portugal in the final Group G game at the World Cup in Brazil and Tanko has warned the Black Stars to maintain a strong mentality and concentration when they come up against the Cristiano Ronaldo inspired side.

“I have told you earlier that the Portuguese team is not exceptional and I am sure their coach knows it,” he added.

“They play for one man – Cristiano Ronaldo and we played against them very well until early in the second half when we made a mistake.

“The problem usually with teams from Africa when playing these sides is they lack a strong mentality and also failure to keep a high concentration throughout the match.

“Therefore if Ghana is able to do this, I am sure they can beat Portugal at the World Cup.”

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