WAFU Zone B Championship: I was not happy with how we played - Black Starlets coach Laryea Kingston
The Black Starlets of Ghana secured a convincing 5-1 victory against Cote d'Ivoire in the opening match of the WAFU B U-17 Cup of Nations at the Legon Stadium.
While spectators lauded the team's performance, head coach Laryea Kingston felt differently.
Despite the scoreline, Kingston expressed disappointment in his team's display, stating that they failed to meet his expectations in terms of dominance on the field.
"Throughout this preparation, every team that we’ve played, we’ve dominated play. [In] our last tournament in Russia, we lost against Russia. First 15 minutes we were down 3-0 but we dominated play. Against Serbia, we dominated play, against Kazakhstan, we dominated play. [In] our friendly game against Niger, we dominated play as well," said Kingston after the game.
Acknowledging the strength of the Ivorian team, Kingston attributed some of the team's nervousness to playing on home soil for the first time in such a competition.
"Today’s game, different opponent. Like I said, thumbs up to the Ivorians; they are a very good side. Of course, most of my boys, [this is the] first time playing such a competition on home soil. I felt they were a little bit jittery. So with that, we had to manage and then try to take something out and try to do our best.
"Sometimes, we tried to play one, two, three passes but for me, as a technical person, I’m not satisfied with the way we played.
"We didn’t dominate play today. We just got the results but in up-and-coming games, this is our style and you will see it in the way we play."
Looking ahead to their next match against Benin on Tuesday, May 21, Kingston emphasized the need for improvement and a return to their dominant style of play.