Ghana winger Benjamin Tsivanyo says the Black Satellites “have absolutely no choice but to win” as they prepare for a decisive WAFU B U20 Championship group match against Burkina Faso on Thursday.
Maxwell Konadu’s side were beaten 4-2 by defending champions Nigeria in their opening Group B fixture at the Charles Konan Banny Stadium in Yamoussoukro, Cote d’Ivoire, a result that leaves their qualification hopes on a knife-edge.
Ghana now face Burkina Faso knowing that anything less than victory will severely damage their chances of progressing from the group.
Maintaining belief after Nigeria setback
Despite the scale of the defeat, Tsivanyo insists morale remains high in the Ghana camp and believes the players are ready to respond.
“We didn’t plan to lose the match against Nigeria but unfortunately it has happened already. It is part of the game. It is how we handle that defeat that matters going forward,” he said.
The winger described the loss as a harsh but important lesson for a young squad still developing its identity at international level.
“Our heads are up, we are not going to give up because we know you can’t win all matches. The defeat tells us that we have more room for improvement.”
Respect for Burkina Faso, but focus on victory
Burkina Faso are expected to pose a significant challenge in Yamoussoukro, and Tsivanyo was quick to acknowledge the strength of Thursday’s opponents.
“We know the Burkinabe are really strong. But we’re fully prepared. We have absolutely no choice but to win this game because we need the points,” he said.
The Black Satellites will likely need at least four points from their remaining group fixtures to stay in contention, making the Burkina Faso game pivotal to their campaign.
Playing for coach and country
Tsivanyo stressed that beyond group mathematics, the squad are motivated by a desire to justify the trust placed in them by the technical staff and to represent Ghana with pride.
“We want to make our coach proud and also Mother Ghana. We’re going to defend the name of our country,” he said.
He added that the players feel a collective responsibility to respond positively to the Nigeria result and show a different side of themselves in their second outing.
Game plan: fast, technical and disciplined
Looking ahead to the tactical approach against Burkina Faso, Tsivanyo highlighted the importance of moving the ball quickly and sticking rigidly to Konadu’s instructions.
“We have to rally on our technical abilities, play fast to avoid injuries. We’re not going to allow them to close us down. We have to play fast and stick to the game plan,” he explained.
“We have to make Ghanaians proud and we’re determined to achieve that.”
With Group B already finely poised after the opening round of fixtures, Ghana head into Thursday’s clash knowing that only a strong result against Burkina Faso will keep their WAFU B U20 Championship journey on track.
