Udinese midfielder Sulley Ali Muntari feels his Ghana side should have been awarded at least one penalty against Italy last night.

The African World Cup virgins lost 2-0 to the dynamic Azzurri in Hanover after Andrea Pirlo and Vincenzo Iaquinta rippled the net.

Yet Ghana did have two penalty appeals rejected by Brazilian referee Carlos Simon while the tie was still at only 1-0.

?We had two chances for a penalty,? said the Serie A based midfielder. ?One could have been a spot-kick, because he [Daniele De Rossi] pushed him [Asamoah Gyan] in the box.

?But the referee was right there so we can't say anything.?

Ghana were certainly not outplayed by the three-time world champions, but some slack defending cost them dearly on the night.

However, boss Ratomir Dujkovic is remaining upbeat and is still targeting a place in the last 16 of the competition.

?I still believe we can reach the knock-out stage,? Dujkovic noted. ?I believe in my team and I am confident we can get a good result against the Czech Republic.

"We are improving with every game. The players are a little disappointed but we will pick them up. The important thing is we played well."

Although Ghana enjoyed spells of long possession, especially in the second half, they did struggle to create any real clear cut chances.