Coach Ibrahim Tanko has urged his team to maintain unshakable concentration and commitment when Ghana take on hosts Morocco in their second game at the 2023 U-23 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) Tuesday night.
The matchup at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Complex in Rabat is expected to be a closely contested encounter because both countries won their opening games in Group A.
The experienced Tanko is fully aware of the challenges that lay ahead when dealing with a host nation, stressing the necessity of stepping up to the plate in such situations.
“Both teams won our first matches and so I expect a good match tomorrow. But we want to win; we know it will be a good game.
“These are the matches we live for. We will rise to the occasion.
“The home crowd will be against us, the atmosphere will be electric, and it provides an opportunity for us to assess our players’ reactions in such situations.
“What is key is to make very less mistakes. We had a good game [against Congo] until after the 90 minutes. I will encourage my players to avoid mistakes,” remarked the Meteors coach in his pre-match press conference on Monday.
Tanko added that the tension among his players has dissipated, indicating that they are becoming more prepared for the impending task.
Ghana would become the first side to guarantee a spot in the semi-finals of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games qualifying tournament if the Black Meteors win this important match.
Kickoff is at 20:00 GMT.