The head coach of the Black Meteors, Ibrahim Tanko, has attributed his team's performance in their second group game against Morocco at the ongoing U-23 Africa Cup of Nations to fatigue.

Ghana faced a crushing defeat at the hands of the host nation, conceding five goals while only managing to score once.

Despite the 5-1 scoreline, the outcome of the game did not fully reflect the overall performance, as the Ghanaian team failed to deliver their best performance.

In contrast, Morocco displayed sharpness and effectiveness whenever they launched counterattacks.

Speaking after the game, Tanko revealed the time for recovery between the first game and the second was short as his players were tired.

“We had a day rest and they had two [days]. You could see from the game between Congo and Guinea how the scoreline was because Congo also had one day rest,” he said.

“We still have a chance in this tournament, we have a last game so we are going to prepare for that.”

The Black Meteors thought they were just within one reach against Morocco after Abdul Fatawu Issahaku’s strike to make it 3-2.

But the goal was chalked off after VAR spotted the ball had first gone out of play before being brought back in the build-up to the goal.

“The performance of the referee, I can’t say much because we have the VAR, which is supporting them,” Tank added when quizzed about the officiating.

“All the decisions they take are okay so I think they are doing very well.”

Ghana will face Guinea in their last group game knowing that anything short of a win will see them exit the competition while ending any hopes of being at the 2024 Olympic Games.