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The Marseille winger says he is disappointed with the defeat but is optimistic Ghana will rise to the occasion in their next game Ghana midfielder Andre Ayew is rallying the Black Stars to keep their focus after the Ghanaians lost their opening Africa Cup of Nations game 1-2 to Senegal. The Marseille talisman, who was a stand-in captain for Ghana, opened the scoring, but the Teranga Lions came from behind to snatch a late winner. �We showed good spirit and we mustn't let our heads drop. Of course I'm disappointed with the defeat but I know we have good players and can put in good performances," Ayew said after the game. �Today Senegal had a bit of luck in the second half that we were lacking,� he added. Captain Asamoah Gyan is battling what doctors described as �a mild bout of malaria� and could not feature against Senegal. Ayew has patted his colleagues on the back for doing a good job in the absence of their key goal scorer. �Gyan is a very important player for us, a leader, our captain. He wasn't there but those who were managed to do a good job,� Ayew noted. Ghana are scheduled to face off with tournament favourites Algeria in their next Group C game on Friday.