Samartex coach Annor Walker has admitted that his team's submissive attitude towards Asante Kotoko was a contributing factor in their 2-1 loss.
Despite the home team's best efforts, they were unable to overcome Kotoko's first-half goals from Enoch Morrison and Rocky Dwamena, with Ebenezer Ackabhi scoring a consolation goal.
In a post-game interview, Walker was critical of his players' mentality, which allowed the defending Ghana Premier League champions to score easy goals. "During the course of the game, I noticed we gave Kotoko too much respect and due to the mentality at which Kotoko approached the game," he said.
He added, "I told my bench they (Kotoko) will try to get an early goal to cushion them and make sure they get to the driving seat because they know if the game should travel at length, things will be difficult for them."
Walker also acknowledged that his defenders made it easy for Kotoko to score the two goals, but he emphasized that his team had shown too much respect towards the opponents. "My defenders also made it easy for them to score the 2 goals but in total, I think we overly showed Kotoko too much respect," he said.