Guinea head coach Paulo Duarte has named a 26-man squad for the double header against Eritrea. He makes no apology for putting victory ahead of beautiful football, with his team second in Group D, three points behind South Africa.
Paulo Duarte makes no secret of it. As he unveiled a 26-man squad for Guinea’s double header against Eritrea in the 2027 AFCON qualifiers, the Syli National head coach delivered a blunt statement of faith about his priorities. Speaking to Kick Off, he put results before style.
The declaration carries particular weight in a Group D where Guinea are chasing South Africa. It also echoes the 2-1 defeat suffered at Orlando Stadium in Soweto in September, in the opening match of the qualifiers, when the coach felt his team deserved better in the second half.
Results before style
Duarte chose the most direct phrasing to sum up his philosophy. “I prefer victory. Because I would rather play badly and win every match than play well and lose every match, as we did in South Africa,” he told Kick Off. The message is clear: efficiency before aesthetics.
The Guinea coach refuses, in any case, to be satisfied with a good performance without the points. “We had a great second half. Normally, we should not have gone there and come away without any points. A psychological victory does not interest me,” he continued, looking back on the defeat in Soweto. A way of pointing to the gap between his team’s display and the result.
Efficiency as a creed
The remarks do not stop at the South Africa case. Duarte places finishing at the heart of his demands: “What interests me is efficiency, goals and victory.” And he cited another match to back up his point: “The second match against Kenya was a game we controlled, but the opponent, apart from the final 12 minutes, that is not normal.”
Behind these words, the coach is sketching the outlines of a team that must turn its control into goals and wins.
The Group D standings
In the standings, Guinea sit second in Group D, three points behind South Africa, according to Kick Off. Kenya, co-hosts of the 2027 AFCON, qualify automatically, which narrows the picture: only one other team in the group will book their ticket.
The double header against Eritrea is due to be played during the next international break, with a 26-man squad already named.