Coach Mariano has reflected on the ‘problems’ at Kumasi Asante Kotoko following his side’s 1-0 win over AshantiGold in the Ashanti derby on Sunday at the Len Clay sports stadium.
The Porcupine Warriors walked away with all three points courtesy Fabio Gama’s powerful header in the 23rd minute of the game.
Speaking at the post match conference, the Portuguese manager said: “The results was the best for us as it was a very tough match. We came into this match with a lot of problems, losing around nine players. We found problems to settle for the best 11.”
The gaffer also commended Kofi Mensah in goal for Ashgold for his impressive performance in the opening 45 minutes of the encounter while also heaping praise on his players.
“In the first half, we had three to four chances [to score] but the AshantiGold goalkeeper made fantastic saves [to keep his side in the game],” Barreto added.
“My players played with hearts and head today. They needed to suffer and they suffered, they needed run and they run, so we got the three points – what we were looking for.”
The coach also advised that his side avoid mistakes in the tale end of the season as we approach the final stretch of the 2020/21 campaign.
“We are in a run because this is a marathon and they are six games left. Any mistakes can be a deadly mistake so we need to be alive,” he concluded.
The Kumasi-based club are now level-pegged on points with Accra Hearts of Oak, who were held by Great Olympics in their fixture.
Watch the full post-match interview below:
Source: Lawrence Baidoo
