- As he rebuilds the team in front of the 2019 FIFA World Cup qualifiers in June, Black Stars head coach Otto Addo has stated that the team’s international friendlies against Nigeria and Uganda served as a learning experience for his players.
- In the second friendly encounter in Marrakech on Tuesday, March 26, Ghana and the Cranes of Uganda drew 2-2. Jerome Opoku gave the Black Stars the lead in the seventh minute as he converted a Jordan Ayew corner kick.
- Steven Mukwala, a forward for Asante Kotoko, converted a penalty shot in the 23rd minute to tie the score for the Ugandans.
- After replacements Mohammed Salisu and Alidu Seidu were sent off, the Black Stars ended the match with 10 men after Ayew’s penalty kick goal in the 27th minute gave Ghana their lead back. However, the Ugandans responded with a goal in the 83rd minute.
- In the first friendly in Marrakech, Ghana was defeated 1-2 by Nigeria on Friday, March 22.
- Coach Addo expressed his dissatisfaction with the Uganda match’s result in a post-match interview, stating that he had bigger hopes for his players.
- He acknowledged that the squad still had a lot of work to do before their next match.
- We anticipated more even though a number of players were out today, but it was still a decent learning curve with some positive moments. We were capable of more.
- “The penalty and the second goal against us were a bit of an unlucky two goals. More opportunities should have been produced, particularly in the latter third. It takes a lot of work, a lot of work, to create more opportunities and improve finishing under duress, the Ghanaian coach stated.
- He voiced concern about the amount of goals the squad let up against Uganda, attributing it to defensive errors, but he promised to put the puzzle pieces back together in the next games.
- “It’s true that we gave up too many goals, and as they played today and in the previous games, the defense line didn’t play together, and it was evident that the players’ communication wasn’t as good as it could have been.”
- He insisted that the group needed to make better defensive judgments and better defensive positioning.
- “We need to work on improving our defensive posture, gap closure, situation recognition, and decision-making skills. We weren’t very strong at counter-pressing, closing gaps, last-third defense, or blocking passing lanes. However, we must improve and try again next time.
- In June, Ghana will compete in FIFA World Cup qualifying matches against Mali and the Central African Republic.
Source:
Graphic Online
