Ghana coach Goran Stevanovic says he faced difficulties psyching his players for the Africa Cup of Nations third-place match against Mali on Saturday.
The Black Stars, who played the last 25 minutes with ten men, were condemned to a 2-0 defeat at the Estadio Nuevo in Malabo.
Mali looked the hungrier of the two sides and searched for goals right from the blast of the whistle.
Ghana, pre-tournament favourites, never showed signs of recovery following a shock 1-0 semi-final defeat at the hands of Mali.
Stevanovic admitted his side lost the mental battle in an attempt to win bronze.
"It was very, very difficult [motivating them]," the Serbian said.
''You can understand how we feel after this game [loss to Mali]. We really tried from the last two days to motivate the players and lift their moral but really it was very, very tough.
"But really, I am satisfied with the second half performance and effort of our players.''