Black Satellites head coach Maxwell Konadu has pinpointed defensive mistakes as the main reason behind Ghana's 4-2 defeat to defending champions Nigeria in their opening Group B match of the 2026 WAFU B U-20 Championship.
Although Ghana produced several encouraging attacking moments, Konadu believes the team's inability to defend key situations cost them the match.
"Yes, we were organised. But then, giving away two cheap goals, I don't think we can make headway with that. We need to quickly fix that problem and make sure that we play very well from the back line. I think that was the biggest issue we had. Going forward into the next game, we're working on our defence and making sure we avoid those mistakes that we made."
Despite the defeat, the Black Satellites earned praise for their attacking display, with many supporters impressed by the team's approach. Konadu acknowledged the positives but stressed that defensive discipline remains the foundation for success.
"At any given time, you still have to maintain your structure defensively, and when you go on transition and cannot quickly recover, it becomes a problem. You have to remain resolute in the heat of affairs and match the intensity of the game."
The Ghana coach also admitted his players lost concentration at crucial moments despite repeated reminders from the technical team.
"The mistake we made, I think, was losing concentration. Even though we kept telling them to always remember where they were, the tackles they needed to apply and all that, we still went down in the box. These are cases we need to understand. But we'll work on it and bounce back."
Ghana will now look to correct those defensive shortcomings when they face Burkina Faso in their next Group B fixture.
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