'Ghana didn’t play badly against Morocco, there were lots of positives' – CK Akonnor

The Black Stars were made to pay for a howler by goalkeeper Razak Abalora, whose failed clearance allowed Jawad El Yamiq to net the only goal of the game.

Speaking in the aftermath of the game, Akonnor said there were a lot of positives to take from the match despite suffering defeat.

“We didn’t look bad at all, it was important for me to see how disciplined we could play, the team spirit, the work ethic, we showed great understanding of how to play,” he said, as quoted by GFA.org.

“Obviously, we played against an opponent who have been very good in previous matches and have not lost a match. We made it very difficult for them.

“If you look at the way we played, the only negative is that we lost, so there were a lot of positives.

“We have some few guys to join us, if we get all of them and work like this, I think going forward we are very hopeful.”

Akonnor named an experimental side against the North African side after missing the services of several key players.

In the absence of Thomas Partey, Mubarak Wakaso, Tariqe Fosu and Frank Acheampong, Jordan Ayew led the team as captain, as his senior brother, Andre Ayew, was left on the bench.

The Black Stars were largely passive in the first half, with Morocco dominating the game, although they also couldn’t make their possession count.

The Atlas Lions, however, upped the ante in the second half and went close on a number of occasions before finally finding a breakthrough in the 69th minute.

A free-kick from substitute Hakim Ziyech was missed completely by Abalora when the Ghana goalkeeper tried to punch the ball away.

El Yamiq subsequently reacted quickest to tuck the ball into an empty net following a goal-mouth scramble.

Ghana pushed for an equaliser and created some decent chances through Kudus Mohammed, Jordan Ayew and later Andre Ayew, although none managed to find the back of the net, as the Black Stars suffered a narrow defeat.

Meanwhile, Akonnor’s side is scheduled to take on the Ivory Coast in another international friendly on Saturday, June 12 in Cape Coast.