Ghana midfielder Mohammed Kudus, despite being named man of the match in Tuesday's dramatic 2-2 TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations draw with Mozambique, could not hide his dismay as his brilliance was overshadowed by Mozambique's late fightback.
“I'm very disappointed, we wanted this victory but it wasn't to be,” expressed a dejected Kudus when talking to reporters after the match. “It's a big disappointment for us.”
Kudus, who impressed throughout the game, pointed to a lack of concentration as the reason Ghana failed to hold onto their two-goal lead. He noted, “We lost the game by losing concentration in the last minutes, like against Egypt too.”
Despite the disappointment, the 22-year-old West Ham sensation acknowledged Ghana's overall quality at the tournament in Cote d'Ivoire. “We showed lots of qualities here, but losing focus at the end cost us,” he reflected philosophically.
Kudus' standout performances were a bright spot in an otherwise challenging AFCON campaign for Ghana. However, not even being named man of the match could lift the spirits of the crestfallen rising star on Tuesday night.
Now, along with coach Chris Hughton, Kudus will turn attention to processing the crushing setback before Ghana begins the process of rebuilding for the future. The disappointment of the draw against Mozambique will undoubtedly fuel their determination to learn from the experience and bounce back stronger in future competitions.