There was plenty for Otto Addo to discuss after the 1-1 draw with Niger on Monday. The result leaves us in third place in Group F of the 2025 TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers – as we picked only one point from a possible six, so the manager was unsurprisingly disappointed when he spoke to the media in his post-match press conference. He was asked about the result, our next games against Sudan, the overall performance of the team and more.
Here’s a full transcript…
On being satisfied with the draw
Definitely not, I am not satisfied at all. I am really disappointed to be honest. We talked and we trained on set pieces, we talked about situations which could happen and the way they defended in the last 10 minutes was really, really bad. I think in general we had the game under control. We allowed sometimes some counter situations where we don’t close the gaps really well and then we got the lead. I think from that point things were easier.
On being wasteful in the second half
Also in the second half we changed some positions and the buildup and also some restrictions to seize moments for our wingers. We had a different set up in the midfield, so it was good. In the second half we controlled them; we created a lot of chances which we didn’t use. At the end, these kind of games are like this. There are no cheap teams, every team can play and Niger also did well, especially in their counter attacks. But I am very, very disappointed with the way we allowed our goals.
On the goal we conceded
We had a quite cheap goal against Angola and now again, I am just really, really disappointed and we have to be on our toes to defend these situations better. I don’t know what to say more because I am really, really disappointed. We talked too much, we trained exactly in this kind of situation also and I am really disappointed to see the team concede a goal like this.
On playing Sudan next
It will be difficult again. I knew from the start, it’s just some little margins, little details which can decide. This will be again, for us it will be a crucial match. We have to win, there is no way around it, and we have to win. If we want to have the chance to play better after, we have to win. We are under pressure, this is for sure and we have to do better.
On lessons
We are not allowing too cheap goals. Like I said, I am disappointed; we didn’t learn the lessons from the first game. Now it’s a set piece, we are all back, we need to defend this better, this is for sure and like I said, I am really disappointed. But surely it’s still in our own hands. We have the same point as Niger and now we have to wait. Angola, they will play tonight against Sudan. However, the result is if Sudan wins, they have six points, Angola three. If Angola wins, they have six points, Sudan three. If you take their draw, they have four points.
On making it out of what looks like a tough group
So it’s still possible but we have to improve, we have to improve much. We have to improve to use our chances and also to defend better in detail and to learn our lessons. Like I said, the goals are too cheap and we have to grow from this we have to learn from this. This is even more than a wake-up call.