Ghana Under-23 coach Akwasi Appiah has blamed fatigue for his side’s 3-1 defeat to Nigeria in the final qualifying round first leg tie.

The Black Meteors are at the edge of elimination and must get a favourable result to play at the finals in Maputo, Mozambique.

Appiah fielded a star-studded side which included seven members of the senior national team.

The Black Stars assistant coach claims his side have the mental fortitude to overturn the deficit.

“We played well in the first half but I think they got tired and lost the fire power in the second half. But we have learnt our lessons and we’ll have to go back and take it from there,” Appiah said.

“We created quite a number of decent chances and we will leave no stone unturned in the second leg to ensure we qualify for the championship.”