Highlights: Ghana's Alexander Djiku spoke exclusively to RFI about his failed start to the AFCON. The Black Stars defender said his team remains confident of qualifying for the round of 16. Djiku: "What we lacked was intensity and aggressiveness. Cape Verde has been better than us in this area" The last AFCON won by Ghana was in 1982, which is almost an eternity to Djiku, who says the priority today is to qualify for the knockout stages of the competition.

The day after Ghana's surprise defeat against Cape Verde (2-1), the Black Stars defender spoke exclusively to RFI about his failed start to the AFCON and assures that his team remains confident...

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AFCON 2024: for Ghana's Alexander Djiku, "when you participate in a competition, it's to win it"

The day after Ghana's surprise defeat against Cape Verde (2-1), the Black Stars defender spoke exclusively to RFI about his failed start to the AFCON and said his team remains confident of qualifying for the round of <>.

Ghana defender Alexander Djiku after equalizing against Cape Verde at the Houphouët-Boigny Stadium in Abidjan on January 14, 2024. AFP - FRANCK FIFE

By: Pierre Fesnien Follow

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From our special correspondent in Abidjan,

RFI: We can say that Ghana failed to make their debut in the competition against Cape Verde, how do you explain this defeat? What did you miss?

Alexander Djiku: Indeed, we missed our start to the competition. There are two games left so we'll have to pick up points as quickly as possible. Now, I think what we lacked was intensity and aggressiveness. Cape Verde has been better than us in this area. We're going to have to keep working to win this second game.

Read alsoAFCON 2024: Cape Verde knocks out Ghana and takes the lead in Group B, relive the match

We see Cape Verde and Mozambique, supposedly the weakest teams in the group, doing well. The AFCON has become like the World Cup, there are no more small teams?

As we have seen since the beginning of the competition, all the teams in contention have quality. It's hard to win games and even harder to win two or three to nil. We know it's tight, now it's all about the small details. It's a real shame because we managed to come back and we conceded that goal at the very end of the game.

From a personal point of view, you had a very good match as you were elected man of the match and you scored the equaliser, we imagine that it is even more frustrating.

It was a personal source of pride, but unfortunately I wasn't able to enjoy it at its true value. It's a shame because at the end of the match, I think there was a way to score that second goal that would have done us good and unfortunately we conceded this goal which hurt us a lot.

Read alsoFind the 2024 AFCON calendar

Many Ghanaian players play in Europe and are used to a more temperate climate, can the heat and humidity of the Ivorian climate explain the underperformance of your team?

Playing in Africa is often complicated. Today, we can't complain because the pitches are good, but it's true that with this heat and humidity, it's very complicated. We deal with it and in any case, it has an impact on both teams and it's not an excuse for us.

What is Ghana's state of mind today? Has the defeat already been digested? Is the team remobilized?

It was very complicated in the dressing room. We were frustrated, there was a lot of disappointment. Now, we have no choice, we're going to have to get back on track. To really be as a team and to be cohesive to be able to win this second game.

This match against Egypt looks like a final before its time. How do you approach such a clash that can already be a knockout match?

It won't necessarily be a decisive match, but it will be crucial because there will be a lot at stake. We approach it serenely. We're going to train well and prepare well for the game and try to play it without pressure.

Who says Egypt, says Mohamed Salah, how do you contain such a player?

From what I've seen, it's still a collective first and foremost, even if there are some very strong individuals. We know he's a great player but I'm not worried about that. They have other very good players, Trezeguet, Mostafa Mohamed... We are capable of defending well and I hope we can do a clean sheat. When you play football, you want to play against the best players so you can measure yourself. To be able to face Cristiano Ronaldo in the World Cup, for me it was a great memory, after that match against Egypt, all I have to do is face Sadio Mané (laughs).

The last AFCON won by Ghana was in 1982, which is almost an eternity. We imagine that the priority objective today is to qualify for the knockout stages, but do you keep in mind the final victory?

I was talking about it recently with Andre Ayew (the captain of the Black Stars, editor's note), the last time Ghana won the AFCON, his father Abedi Pele was still playing, so it's true that it seems like an eternity. Now we'll start by focusing on Egypt's game for qualification to the round of 16. After that, in the knockout games, there will be more pressure and I think it will be to our advantage. When you come to participate in a competition, it's to win it. Despite what happened in the first game, we remain confident to qualify.

AFCON 2024: for Ghana's Alexander Djiku, "when you participate in a competition, it's to win it"

AFCON 2024: for Ghana's Alexander Djiku, "when you participate in a competition, it's to win it"

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