Black Stars head coach Avram Grant insists reserve players who were given the opportunity to play against Egypt in Ghana’s last group match at the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations gave their all.

There has been a strong criticism of the performances of Andy Yiadom, Bernard Terkpetey, and Jonathan Mensah following Ghana’s 0-1 loss to the Egyptians on Wednesday, but the former Chelsea manager, speaking to Class Sports, said the players did their best as it was an opportunity to try them.

“I think they tried their best. All the players showed a lot of spirit. It was a good opportunity for them to play. I don’t want to say it was good or bad. It was an opportunity to give some of the [key] players some time to rest although they could have done better,” he stated.

Avram Grant is expected to revert to his strongest starting XI for their quarterfinal game against the Congolese on Sunday with a place in the semi-finals up for grabs.