Publications
Partners
Nelspruit - Ghana attempted to mask the disappointment of their Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) elimination with optimism, regarding the Black Stars' future.
One of the pre-tournament favourites, Ghana crashed out at the semi-final stage of Afcon to Burkina Faso, who triumphed 3-2 in the penalty shoot-out. The match ended 1-1 after 120 minutes.
Ghana coach Kwesi Appiah felt that despite the bitter aftertaste of what was a drama-filled evening in Nelspruit, the side would bounce back.
GALLERY: Burkina Faso v Ghana"I think every coach's ambition is to try and win it, and it was my ambition to try and win it," Appiah said on Wednesday evening.
"I'm building the team now and looking at the performances of the players. They did well. They are some young players and the future (looks positive)."
With only a sprinkling of seasoned internationals in his team, Appiah admitted disappointment at his side not capitalising on their chances.
"It was a very competitive game but we were just unlucky. We had some chances before the full time but we did not take them. When it comes to penalties anything can happen. Unfortunately we did not make it."
Captain Asamoah Gyan echoed his coach's sentiments.
"We are down at the moment, but we will psyche ourselves up and go for third place," Gyan said.
"As captain it's my job to go to the guys and psyche them up. It's football. We came here for this trophy but we lost, it's part of the game."
