The Black Stars secured their spot at the 2021 AFCON in Cameroon on Thursday after playing out a 1-1 draw against South Africa at the FNB Stadium, with the hosts needing at least a point against Sudan on Sunday in order to follow suit.
"Going into the game we knew what was expected of us," Akonnor said in his post-match press conference. "We knew the strengths of the South Africans and how they will play and attack so we were prepared to play without the ball.
"Team organization was key for us, we came here with the idea that even if we leave with a draw, we'd be fine. We just didn't need to lose and we were able to achieve that.
"Yes, in the early minutes of the game we struggled because we realised they came with three back and put a lot of pressure on us. So we weren't ready for that and slowly we had to do tactical changes in the process of the game.
"But we managed to go into the first half level, of course, and for the second half, we went in and discussed a lot on how we should approach the game.
"We were doing very well in that sense and we also realised that we didn't have to do much up front, so we had to take our striker out and bring in another midfielder to be able to have the ball more and play more.
"Somehow within that period of time we got a goal, which was good for us. Once had had a goal we thought, 'yes, we are ahead of them'. But they got an equalizer and again, it became tight and the pressure was on.
"But again, in terms of team organization, I think the boys did very well. The captain [Mubarak] Wakaso was able to do a lot, not just playing but of course, organizing the team. So, they showed a lot of good character and we came out with a draw, which we are very happy about."