Abdul Karim Zito, the head coach of Ghana’s under-20 team has underscored the importance of a winning start to the Under-20 Africa Cup of Nations.

Ghana will be in action later today when it takes on Tanzania in the opening Group C game.

In a pre-match press conference, Karim Zito said that winning the first game will be a huge factor in deciding how the team fares in the tournament.

Karim Zito says winning will be the motivation for the subsequent matches in the group.

“Seriously, it is a big opportunity for us. If we are able to win the first game, winning the first game gives you the motivation to play ahead.

”During the WAFU B, we were able to beat Nigeria and that carried us to the semi-finals. I won’t say playing Tanzania is a must-win, but winning is our first motto”, he said.

Next up for Ghana after Tanzania is a date with Morocco in the same group. Morocco who will be in action against Gambia who make up the rest of Group C.

Zito, however, remains focused on his immediate task which is beating Tanzania in today’s game.

“I cannot talk about Morocco if I have not finished with Tanzania. For now, Tanzania is my headache. If I am able to go through with Tanzania then the rest will follow,” Zito concluded.

The game is scheduled for 16:00 GMT and will be live on GhanaWeb.