Ghana U20 coach blames altitude in Addis Ababa for defeat to Ethiopia in AYC qualifier

Ghana U20 coach Mas-Ud Dramani attributed his side's 2-1 defeat to Ethiopia on Sunday in the African Youth Championship qualifiers to the weather in Addis Ababa.

The capital town lying between 2200-2500 meters above sea level was a major obstacle for the Ghanaians in the second round qualifier first leg tie.

The Black Satellites were down by two goals under 20 minutes but managed to pull one back through striker Jonathan Osabutey.

'We lost not because of tactical or physical conditions but because of the climatic conditions,' Dramani said in a post-match interview.

'The altitude was a big factor that even before the game started, those of us not playing, we struggled for breath.

'I will continuously congratulate them for fighting through out. Many of them were also coming up with cramps because the pitch was not so good, so hard and they were also not enough energy because they were also not getting more oxygen.'

The return leg will be played in Accra in a fortnight.