We are going to qualify in Ghana - Christine Manie

The iconic captain of the Lionesses looked a bit disappointed at the press conference by the result (1-1) against Ghana. She remains optimistic despite the poor conditions of preparation for the match and hopes that improvements will be made ahead of their return leg in Accra.

Are you satisfied with your performance today and the conditions under which you have prepared?

I say thank you to our Cameroonian public who came to support us. There is always a difference. It's like you journalists, you cannot go to a programme without taking information in advance. You cannot treat a subject without information, and without going to the source. It's the same with football. You cannot prepare one to two days and hope to win a match. I'm really proud of my teammates because we gave everything. I do not like talking about these things even if it is true that we prepared in difficult conditions. Our concern was not to lose our support. We hope that we will put more effort in training in order to qualify because many people will be asking if this team was in the World Cup. But it has long been prepared for the World Cup. It has been a year practically set. That means we knew there was automation. It was very difficult. I am confident that we will qualify when we go to Ghana.

Is it that you did not feel a particular pressure at the start of this match, especially as it was your first trip home since the end of the World Cup?

It's normal to have pressure because since our adventure in Vancouver, our supporters have not seen us play. There is always pressure when we play at home. We always know how to transcend this pressure here.