Black Stars coach disappointed in the draw against Madagascar

Ghana Black Stars coach Chris Hughton has expressed the team’s disappointment following a goalless draw away at Madagascar in the 2023 African Cup of Nations qualifier. Ghana was held to a goalless draw by the group’s bottom team on Sunday.

After the match, Chris Hughton gave an honest assessment of the results while expressing disappointment. He also blamed the bad nature of the pitch for the result. Ghana’s failure to win means the Black Stars will have to secure qualification on the final match day with at least a draw against the Central African Republic.

“Yes, we are very disappointed. We came with an attitude and mindset to win but to win a football match you need to score goals. We found it difficult today. The pitch is difficult, it’s an uneven pitch but it’s the same for both teams and we needed to be forceful in the key areas to create more opportunities to score so the fact that we didn’t score is the most disappointing thing,” he said after the match.

Jordan Ayew and Patrick Kpozo playing for the Black Stars in the match against Madagascar at the Mahamasina Municipal Stadium on June 18, 2023. — Jordan Ayew and Patrick Kpozo during the match against Madagascar at the Mahamasina Municipal Stadium on June 18, 2023. Photo: GFA

Ahead of the next match in September, the coach said there is only one strategy and that he “..is to win”. He also hopes the home advantage would count in the final match.

“Our strategy for the next match is to win. We are playing at home. We know we have to get the result and obviously it’s a game we know the consequences if we don’t win. From here, we have a break. The players will have to go back to their clubs and they will start preseason and we will be ready for the game in September.

“We have some players missing today so hopefully those players will be available in September. We will be going into another difficult game against Central African Republic and we have to win,” he said.

Ghana maintains the top spot in the group and except Madagascar, all the other teams have chances of qualification. A draw for Ghana in the last match will guarantee qualification whereas a defeat could spell doom for the Black Stars. The final qualifying match will be played on September 4, 2023, in Ghana.