Ghana coach, Kwesi Appiah has drawn positives from his team despite sharing the spoils with Egypt in Cape Coast on Sunday.
To coach Appiah, who used the game as the beginning of his team building process, in his current crop of players lie great potential, hunger and determination to go places.
He said his team showed great promise despite parading virtually new charges, and pointed out that their quick response to the opener was enough reason to believe in them.
A ferocious strike by Ghana’s Edwin Gyasi cancelled out Shikabala’s goal for the Pharaohs as Egypt topped group E with 13 points having already secured qualification to next year’s football showpiece prior to the match.
The Black Stars trainer said after the game that he expected a tough task against the North Africans but was sure his men would be up to the challenge.
And in a post-match meet, Appiah said: “We dominated the possession during the game and I was confident of my players’ abilities to score the equalizer; with the fans’ support and pressure on the Egyptian players, it happened.”
He added: “I knew I was going to play today’s match with new players. Only three or four players were added to the formation. We are confident of this team and we knew that today’s match was not going to be easy.”
Responding to why he did not extend invitation to local charges, he said “When we talk of giving local players the chance, there is no coach who has done better than I have. I always give the local players the opportunity and I have made sure that I encourage them.
“However, for this match, I realised that the Ghana Premier League was ending two weeks before the tie. So, I thought that with the qualifying ending, I should call up foreign-based players who I want to assess.
“Next year, I will only depend on very few players who are doing well. The mass call-ups will end this year and so, I had to look at other players.”
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