CHAN: Mauritania’s Aritz López Garay rues missed chances in Madagascar draw

Mauritania head coach Aritz López Garay was left ruing his side’s inability to take their chances during their 0-0 opening draw against Madagascar in the TotalEnergies CAF African Nations Championship (CHAN) fixture on Sunday.

The Group B fixture at Benjamin Mkapa Stadium in Tanzania, swung in favour of Mauritania just before half-time when Madagascar captain Dax was sent off, but they were not able to take advantage of the numerical numbers and get maximum points.

The outcome has left Mauritania coach López Garay a frustrated man, who further described the 0-0 draw as a missed opportunity.

“I have a feeling we lost the match. We played against a team with 10 men and we didn’t win. Our players missed several clear scoring opportunities,” he said after the game. “There are still three games left, and we have to keep our heads up. We will continue to work hard after this game.”

He continued: “Tanzania won the first match, and it might be good for us to play in front of a stadium full of Tanzanian fans. We have to improve our level. This is my job, and I will do it to the best of my ability. We are striving to play a good match, and we will prepare for the upcoming matches.”

After the first round of matches concluded, Tanzania remained top with three points while Mauritania stayed second with one point.