Appiah: There is still room for improvement

29 Jan 2013 7:54:00 AM

Kwesi Appiah spoke about his hopes for the Ghanian team after their 3-0 victory against Niger in Port Elizabeth

Ghana sealed their passage into the quarter-finals of the Africa Cup of Nations on Monday night with a dominant 3-0 win over Niger, but coach Kwesi Appiah is still not convinced that his side is showing their full capability on the pitch.

Goals from Asamoah Gyan, Christian Atso and John Boye sealed the victory for a confident Ghanaian outfit who did not allow Niger a single moment to entertain hopes of a chance in the game. The young team looks ready to enter the knockout stages of the tournament, but they face a tricky tie against a steely Cape Verde side.

The Black Stars opened their tournament with a disappointing 2-2 draw against the DR Congo, but have remained unbeaten with two wins against Mali and now Niger.

Speaking after the game in Port Elizabeth, Appiah told reporters that he wants more from his players when they face Cape Verde in the quarter final on Saturday.

“There is still room for improvement, we are still a developing team but we are half way through and can do much better,” he said.

“I am delighted we have qualified, but it was not easy to do so. Niger was a good team, they defended well. But my players stepped up their performance and that resulted in Niger not coming out as they are used to.

“But we got an early goal and that settled us down and I thought that we did very well.”

Niger's coach Gernot Rohr praised his players efforts despite the loss and believes Niger will be a force to be reckoned with on African soil in the time to come.

"I am proud of my players despite the loss. They displayed courage and the future is bright. We were up against a better, faster team today," Rohr said after the game.

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