Nigeria defeat is killing me - Kuffour

AS Roma and Ghanaian defender Samy Osei Kuffour says the Black Stars loss to Nigeria in the Nations Cup Group D encounter has completely shattered him and is 'killing him'.

The Black Stars lost for the second time in a Nations Cup encounter with the Super Eagles yesterday when a Taye Taiwo's thunderbolt of a shot late in time took the entire Ghanaian defence by surprise and gave another famous Nations Cup victory to the Nigerians.

Having suffered three successive defeats by way of friendly encouters before coming into the game, many were those who thought that the Black Stars will find their rhythm against age-long rivals Nigeria but that was not to be as the Nigerians siezed the entire midfield of the game with man-of-the-match, Wilson Oruma putting up a splendid performance.

Speaking to Citi Sports after the game, Sammy Kuffour stated that he cannot understand why the Stars lost the game when they had two glorious chances to bury the game.

He stressed that though the absence of Essien, Muntari and Gyan affected the team, he felt that the team was in a better position to win the game.

The former Bayern Munich defender maintained that it was not pressure that killed the game for the team but that it was just a last loss of concentration, adding that it had nothing to do with a lack of tactical competence on the part of the game.

Meanwhile, Head Coach of the Black Stars Ratomir Dujkovic has defended his decision to adopt the five-four-one system of play as against the normal four-four-two formation by the country.

He told CITI SPORTS that it became mandatory for him to adopt that system due to formation adopted by the Nigerians in the game.

Dujkovic maintained that the game could have gone both games and that it was unfortunate that it went the Nigerian way.

He added that the team has to score goals if they are to advance to the next stage.