Head coach of Ghana Otoo Addo has asserted that fatigue nearly wrecked his team’s effort during the goalless drawn game against Nigeria in the opening leg of the 2022 FIFA World Cup playoff on Friday.
Ghana enjoyed plethora of the ball possession in early stages of the encounter but could not make their dominance count on the scoresheet.
The Super Eagles found joy after the break and created decent openings but failed to punish their bitterest rivals as the match ended in a stalemate.
The Super Eagles came a whisker of opening the scoring after they were awarded a spot-kick with 15 minutes from time.
However, the decision was overturned upon consultation with the Video Assistant Referee.
During the team’s post-match presser, coach Addo claimed Nigeria only found their rhythm after his charges suffered exhaustion.
“First of all we did well even though we made some mistakes but we started well, there was just a little bit of fatigue and it made Nigeria to come into the game more,” Addo said.
The two West African giants are set to lock horns for the return encounter on Tuesday in Abuja.
Ghana and Nigeria are seeking their fourth and seventh respective appearance at the global football showpiece.
Ghanasoccernet.com