Black Stars performance was encouraging - Dossena.
Algeria coach to join team after illness
Nigeria can afford to relax a little after flying start
Black Stars performance was encouraging - Dossena.
Tema (Greater Accra) 24th January 2000
The Black Stars Italian coach Guissepe Dossena has described the Stars performance in the opening group A match against the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon last Saturday as encouraging.
He was speaking in an interview with newsmen at Tema after the Stars’ training session at the Tema Sports Stadium on Monday.
Coach Dossena said "we drew against a big team", adding that the Cameroonian team has participated in the World Cup four times and drawing with them was encouraging.
He said the Black Stars played well for the first 20 minutes and did not know what happened when they slackened slightly in their performance. "May be the pressure was too much", he added.
The match ended in 1-1 draw.
Asked about the Stars chances against Togo in their next match on Thursday at the Accra Sports Stadium, Coach Dossena said he would know what strategy to adopt after Togo's first match against Cote d'Ivore today.
"We have to play better than we did. Togo is a good team and for us we need to improve our game", he said.
He said even though Mohammed Gargo and Augustine Arhinful were slightly injured during the Cameroon match the team is not be disturbed.
Coach Dossena, however, expressed concern about the two training grounds for the Stars- the El-Wak Stadium and the Tema Sport Stadium.
"The two fields are too hard, and need watering. They also have a lot of holes, which are not good for training. For example Sam Johnson was slightly injured during training this morning due to bad pitch", he added.
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Algeria coach to join team after illness
Kumasi (Ashanti) 24th January 2000
Algeria coach Nasser Sandjak rejoined his team in Kumasi, on Sunday after being hospitalised for two days with food poisoning, officials said.
Sandjak spent two days in hospital in Cotonou, Benin, where the Algeria side had spent a week preparing before the start of the African Nations Cup finals.
Algeria play their opening match in group B against the Democratic Republic of Congo in Kumasi on Monday.
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Nigeria can afford to relax a little after flying start
Lagos (Nigeria), 24th January 2000
Nigeria's Super Eagles could afford to relax a little on Monday after a stunning 4-2 group D win over Tunisia got them on a flying start in the African Nations Cup.
"Criticisms over preparations in Malaga, the fact that the team had not been together for a long time and playing in front of the home crowd really got to my boys," Dutch coach Jo Bonfrere told Reuters in an interview.
"We were under tremendous pressure all along ... now we can be cool for a while," he said.
Co-hosts Nigeria had faced strident criticism at home after losing most of their friendly matches during preparations in Spain.
Soccer is treated with almost religious devotion by many of the West African country's 108 million people.
A brace of goals each from midfielder Austin "Jay-Jay" Okocha, with French club Paris Saint Germain, and Borussia Dortmund striker Victor Ikpeba won Nigeria the game and three points.
But players said the pressure had been tremendous at the start.
"The last time we played together was in April last year and when you're playing at home in front of our soccer-crazy fans, you definitely will be under pressure," said captain Sunday Oliseh, who plays with Juventus.
"Because of this we couldn't get it right in the first 15 minutes and I was asking the lads: 'Hey, what's wrong?' But I wasn't comfortable myself."
The Tunisians, who came to Nigeria with solid performances in pre-tournament preparations, felt they would do better in their remaining games.
"The scoreline does not reflect the actual game. If we'd lost by 1-0 or 2-1, then that would have been fine," said defender Samir Trabelsi. "Our poor tactics let us down."
The next game in group D -- dubbed the "group of death" -- is between Morocco and Congo on Wednesday.
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