Coach Avram Grant is pleased by the Black Stars' qualification to the quarter-finals of the AFCON 2017 currently going on in Gabon.

Ghana beat the Eagles of Mali 1-0 on Saturday at the Stade de Port Gentil to record their second victory of the tournament and secure a quarter-final berth.

READ ALSO: AFCON 2017: Gyan header qualifies Ghana for quarter finals

The win, though, was unconvincing as the Black Stars lose control of the game and came under a lot of pressure from the Malians, a similar feature of their 1-0 win over Uganda in their first match.

But speaking to the media after the game, Grant commended the players for the win and said he was happy for the qualification.

 

“I am very happy about the game today and I do not want to look at the negatives of the performance but of course, we always seek to improve. In the first half, we dominated but in the second half, Mali put some pressure on us and the players decided to retreat.

However, that was not part of our plan. On the contrary, we really wanted to play on the front foot but sometimes in tournaments, players want to play that way and get the points and I think they did it well.

The Stars face Egypt in the group’s final match on January 25 at the Port Gentil Stadium.