'I WAS EQUALLY DISAPPOINTED' .. ..(Page 3)

Story: George Ernest Asare, Kumasi

Just like the millions of soccer fans in the country who are yet to get over the 0-1 loss which the Black Stars suffered in their semi-final encounter with the Indomitable Lions of Cameroun, Coach Claude Le Roy is still at a loss as to what denied the Stars a date with defending champions, Egypt, in the grand finale.
Minutes after the Black Stars and their technical team had been decorated with bronze medals after their outstanding second half performance against the Elephants of Cote d’Ivoire in the third-place match, Coach Le Roy declared at a post-match press conference that he was as disappointed as all Ghanaian soccer fans for the loss to Cameroun.
“We did not deserve to lose to them, but that is football and sometimes it is difficult to explain certain issues,” he declared.
When quizzed by the media to prove whether or not he was disappointed by not winning the trophy, in line with the “host-and-win” slogan, Le Roy said he was sad that the Stars lost to Cameroun.
He explained that the Stars deserved to win that match because the players played their hearts out, adding, “But in soccer anything can happen and sometimes it is not the best side that wins.”
On the match against the Elephants, he said the odds had heavily been against the Black Stars because some of the key players such as Michael Essien, John Mensah and Baffour Gyan had not been fully fit so when the Stars went down 1-2 in the first half, it became very difficult for them to claw back.
“During recess, I told the players to do everything to kill the game. However, I was not very sure that they would equalise and win the match, but eventually they did well to win. So I am happy for what they did,” he declared.
The Black Stars beat the Elephants of Cote d’Ivoire 4-2 to place third in the tournament at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium in Kumasi last Saturday.
The Cote d’Ivoire coach, Mr Gili Gerard, who was well composed during the media encounter, commended the Black Stars and Coach Le Roy for the well deserved victory.
“I was not disappointed that we lost to the Stars because they did very well in the second half by putting intense pressure on my players, making it possible for them to equalise and take the lead,” he conceded, adding, “We tried our best to come back but we did not succeed because of the pressure mounted on us.”