Mauritania head coach, Amir Abdou has admitted his side was not good enough against Angola after they lost 3-2 in their second group game of the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations Côte d'Ivoire 2023.

He said they gifted goals to Angola and didn’t put in enough effort to win what was their second game. 

“It was a fairly open match in transitions. We gave gifts to the Angolans, we came back to the mark each time, we were punished this evening against a team that is very poor vertically. 

“When you lose a ball within 25 meters, it's not forgiving at the highest level. We were more spectators than actors. 

“I cannot explain this defeat by a physical and tactical problem, but rather by the fact that we were not good in certain aspects. Even if we scored two goals, we have to be more realistic. 

“We ran behind the score, it’s difficult for a team like ours. We must be positive, we must not stop there, even if it is a big disappointment,” he said after the game. 

Mauritania will now play against Algeria in their last game. A win will qualify the Desert Foxes but Amir Abdou has insisted they will approach the game with all seriousness. 

“We are not here to distribute points.  We will prepare for Algeria. I respect the Algerian team, it is a very good team, our objective is to put in a good performance, we will hang on to get a good result. We have not given a bad image, we must continue to move forward and not lament. 

“I am sorry for disappointing the people of Mauritanian,” he concluded.