CHAN: Sudan’s Appiah refuses to adopt defensive mindset despite Algeria’s pedigree

Sudan national team coach Kwesi Appiah has insisted their journey must continue in the TotalEnergies African Nations Championship (CHAN) when they take on Algeria in the quarter-finals at Amaan Stadium in Zanzibar on Saturday.

The East African nation are unbeaten against North African opposition at CHAN (W1 D2), keeping three clean sheets in three matches.

“The goal is not to arrive at this level and return home. Every single coach’s ambition would be to do better and make the people happy. It’s going to be a good game, showcasing African football,” said Appiah as quoted by CAFOnline.com.

On whether he will deploy a defensive approach, the Ghanaian coach said: “Algeria is a big country when it comes to football. We knew automatically when we got to the quarterfinal that they’re no easy games. Every coach tactically assesses the team they’re against and then decides. I’ve never believed in sitting back.”

Sudan forward Fares Abdullah echoed the coach’s sentiments by saying: “We know the entire country awaits this result. It will be a good game. Algeria is a good team, but we are going to put in our best to win.”

The Falcons of Jediane will hope to extend their remarkable run under Appiah, while Algeria will be going for redemption after falling short in the 2022 final.