Coach Frimpong Manso says the result mattered more than the performance after his Nations FC beat Berekum Chelsea on penalties to reach the MTN FA Cup semi-finals.
The two Ghana Premier League sides played out a tense 0–0 draw after 120 minutes at Nana Fosu Gyeabour Park on Sunday.
But Nations FC held their nerve in the shootout, winning 4–3 on penalties to book their place in the last four.
Speaking after the match, Manso admitted he would have preferred his team to win in normal time, but said the victory was what really mattered.
“Yeah, I think it was a very good game. But every cup, you know, you cannot predict. Sometimes I think we should have maybe won during regulation time, but all the same, we expected it was going to be difficult. So yes, the win is the most important thing for us,” he told Nations FC TV.
Before the game, Nations FC had been in strong scoring form, netting six goals in their last three league matches. That raised hopes of a more comfortable win.
But Manso said Berekum Chelsea proved a difficult opponent.
“Of late, maybe we thought we had solved all those problems. In our last three games, we scored about six goals. So coming into this game, we thought we were going to have the goals flowing. But our opponent also played well. It's not a game that you can say we're going to work them out.”
Even though his team needed penalties to get through, the coach said he was happy with the outcome.
“For me, I think although we won on penalties, I'm satisfied.”
Nations FC will now face Aduana FC in the semi-finals of the MTN FA Cup, with the match scheduled to be played in April.
By: Pascal Amoah
