Why Ofori remains confident despite Ghana’s Cape Verde loss
Orlando Pirates goalie Richard Ofori has revealed why he is confident that Ghana will rise from the ashes like a phoenix in the ongoing AFCON 2023.
The Pirates goalie, Richard Ofori guarded the Ghanaian goal area when they crumbled late in their first Group B match. They lost 2-1 to the exciting Cape Verde, who few gave a chance of winning, going into the match.
Garry Rodrigues scored a stoppage-time winner as Cape Verde beat the four-time winners to go top of the group.
PIRATES GOALIE RICHARD OFORI PUT IN A GOOD SHIFT FOR THE BLACK STARS
Intrestingly, Ofori put in a good shift despite that he has not enjoyed much game time in the DStv Premiership this season.
He made two vital saves before substitute Rodrigues pounced at the death to secure all three points. The Cape Verde attacker took advantage of a mix-up in the Ghana defence to freely tap the ball home. And the goal handed them a famous and deserved win in Abidjan.
It was another frustrating result for the Black Stars, who also failed to win their maiden match in the 2021 edition.
They were however left to rue a first half goal that was disallowed after a long VAR check. Majeed Ashimeru had rifled a superb long-range strike into the bottom corner, only for it to be ruled out.
WHAT RICHARD OFORI SAID
Nevertheless, Ofori believes they will correct their mistakes in the next match against Egypt. They are pencilled to take on the Pharaohs on Thursday, in a blockbuster that can easily seal their AFCON 2023 fate.
“The truth of the matter is, we can’t concede in such a time. We have to be compact,” Ofori said. “We have players that play highest level football but sometimes players can’t defend some certain balls and you end up losing the game.
“The 30-year-old goalminder explained he conceded the second goal at a crucial stage. The ball was bouncing in front of me and the ball was also going far away from me, so I needed to stretch.
“And just direct the ball to the side but unfortunately, my players were not there to block. It happens in the game. We need to concentrate and focus on the second game that’s the most important thing.
“So we remain confident of correcting the mistakes in the next match against Egypt. We will do better,” he added.
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