Ghana coach Goran Stevanovic says they will deal with John Mensah loss
Stevanovic confident of Mensah replacement
Posted: 2012-01-25 10:19
Ghana coach Goran Stevanovic is confident the Black Stars can deal with the loss of John Mensah after his red card against Botswana.
Mensah scored the only goal for Ghana in the first half before he was sent off in the second for a professional foul Jerome Ramatlhakwane.
But far from the hero to zero tale, Mensah has been praised in Ghana for taking one for the team.
And Stevanovic believes while he is an important player, the Black Stars can cope without him.
“John Mensah made a fantastic game before the red card. He is a very important player for us of course but the first thing I told the team when we met was that every player is very important and will have their part to play. There are 23 players here and every one of them will have a big role."
Mensah looks set now to miss at least the next game against Mali and with his regular partner Isaac Vorsah suspended Ghana has been left short on defensive options.
But Stevanovic will worry about that on another day. He says he is just relieved to have won.
“We have learned that at this tournament it’s not easy to beat anybody,” Stevanovic said "All the same, it was very important that we won our first game of a tournament that has already produced some surprises."
Ghana plays Mali next on Saturday.
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