ACCRA (Reuters) – Ghana’s toughest test at the African Nations Cup will be Thursday’s semi-final against Cameroon, the host nation’s coach Claude Le Roy said on Tuesday.
« In every big competition, the hardest part is always the semi-final, » the Frenchman told reporters after the Black Stars’ training session in Accra.
Ghana play Cameroon at Accra’s Ohene Djan stadium on Thursday (5 p.m. British time).
« Remember the 1988 Nations Cup: Morocco, who hosted the tournament, lost to Cameroon in the semis and at the last World Cup, (hosts) Germany thought they had done the hardest part but eventually lost in semi-final, » Le Roy added.
« The semi-final is always the most difficult step to climb. »
Le Roy will have to cope with the absence of captain John Mensah, who is suspended after picking up a red card in Ghana’s 2-1 win over Nigeria in the quarter-final.
« John is one of the best defenders in the world and without him, we are experiencing a major tactical challenge, » he said, adding he had yet to come up with a plan.
Le Roy, who led Cameroon to their 1988 Nations Cup title and coached them during the 1998 World Cup finals, said he would leave no room for feelings during Thursday’s game.
« I’ll hold my feelings until after the game, I have coached the Cameroon before, but I’m now the ghana coach.
