Coach Annor Walker has applauded the people of Ghana for their unwavering support that preceded their 3-1 victory over Sudan in their second Group C match of the TotalEnergies African Nations Championship (CHAN) in Algeria.
The Galaxies came into the clash at the back of a shock 2-1 defeat to tournament debutants Madagascar, which put them in a precarious position of having to secure nothing less than a victory over Sudan to keep their CHAN title hopes alive.
Speaking after his side’s emphatic 3-1 victory at the Chahid Hamlaoui Stadium in Constantine where they had to come back from a goal down, the Ghanaian coach credited the victory to the supporters back home, whom he thanked for their messages of encouragement ahead of the crucial tie against Sudan.
“I am very happy with the win. The loss in the first match made us realise that we have a lot of support from Ghana. They were very supportive and worried about the team.”
“We received calls from everyone, who said they were supporting and praying for the team to do well,” said the coach.
It was quite an uphill battle for the Ghanaians who were also playing against a vocal Constantine crowd that was in full support of Sudan, an obstacle that the coach said he had to help his players overcome before the match started.
“We realized that we don’t have anybody. It was like a son without a mother and father that had to be on their own. Coming into the field, we quickly realized that the crowd was rallying behind Sudan, and this made me realize that we have to fight for ourselves. I had to psych up my players and encourage them to work hard for the win,” said Walker.
The victory puts the Ghanaians back into contention for a knock-out place which will be determined by the outcome of the final match of the group between Madagascar and a wounded Sudan side on Monday evening.
Should Ghana qualify for the knockout phase, Walker will be without the services of his skipper, Daniel Barnieh who was sent off in the dying minutes following a vicious tackle.
“It is unfortunate that this happened. I am worried because he is one of my top strikers. This has me worried a lot, but I have 25 players and I will definitely have a replacement to play in that position” concluded the coach.
