Ghana head coach Otto Addo expressed his frustration after the Black Stars’ 1-1 draw against Niger in the 2025 AFCON qualifiers on Monday, criticizing his team’s missed opportunities and defensive lapses.
“Definitely not, I am not satisfied at all. I am really disappointed, to be honest,” Addo said after the match.
Ghana’s national team conceded a late goal once again, placing them in a difficult position in their quest to qualify for their 11th consecutive AFCON tournament. Addo shared that they had focused on improving their defense, but poor execution on the field led to their downfall.
“We talked, and we trained on set pieces… and the way they defended in the last 10 minutes was really, really bad,” he stated.
Addo felt his team initially had control of the game but failed to maintain their defensive structure. “I think in general, we had the game under control. We allowed sometimes some counter situations where we didn’t close the gaps really well, and then we got the lead. I think from that point things were easier,” he noted.
Despite dominating much of the match, the Black Stars struggled to finish their chances, a shortcoming that Addo believes cost them the win.
“In the second half, we changed some positions and the buildup and also some restrictions to seize moments for our wingers. We had a different setup in the midfield, so it was good. In the second half, we controlled them; we created a lot of chances, which we didn’t use. In the end, these kinds of games are like this,” he said.
Addo acknowledged the competitiveness of the game and Niger’s effective counterattacks, which exposed Ghana’s weaknesses. “There are no cheap teams, every team can play, and Niger also did well, especially in their counterattacks. But I am very, very disappointed with the way we allowed our goals,” he concluded.
The Black Stars will now face a must-win situation against Sudan in their next match. Currently sitting third in Group F, Ghana must improve their performance to keep their qualification hopes alive.
