'The win is the most important thing for us' – Frimpong Manso prioritises results after penalty shootout victory

Nations FC coach Frimpong Manso has made it clear that the result mattered above all else after his side scraped past Berekum Chelsea on penalties to reach the MTN FA Cup semi-finals.

The two Premier League sides played out a goalless stalemate over 120 minutes at the Nana Fosu Gyeabour Park on Sunday, with Nations FC holding their nerve from the spot to secure a 4-3 shootout victory.

Speaking after the match, Manso admitted that while he would have preferred to finish the job in regular time, the outcome was all that counted.

"Yeah, I think it was a very good game. But every cup, you know, you cannot predict. Sometimes I think we should have maybe won during regulation time, but all the same, we expected it was going to be difficult. So yes, the win is the most important thing for us," he told Nations FC TV.

The coach acknowledged that his team's recent goalscoring form—six goals in three league games—had raised expectations of a more straightforward contest but gave credit to a resilient Chelsea side.

"Of late, maybe we thought we had solved all those problems. In our last three games, we scored about six goals. So coming into this game, we thought we were going to have the goals flowing. But our opponent also played well. It's not a game that you can say we're going to work them out."

Despite the struggle, Manso expressed satisfaction with the outcome.

"For me, I think although we won on penalties, I'm satisfied."

Nations FC will now face Aduana FC in the semi-finals, with the tie scheduled for April.