The Head Coach of the Black Stars, Otto Addo, has given reasons for the decision to hand Hearts of Oak goalkeeper, Benjamin Asare, a starting role in Friday’s qualifier against Chad.
That call was one of the talking points among fans before and after the game that saw the Stars record their biggest win in recent days – a 5-0 battering of the Les Sao in a FIFA World Cup qualifier at the Accra Sports Stadium.
It marked a Black Stars debut for the former Accra Great Olympics shot stopper who crossed carpet to the Phobians, following an impressive showing for his club side. That has seen him register 12 clean sheets in the 2024-25 Ghana Premier League season.
Explaining his decision in a post-match press conference, Coach Otto Addo said Asare merits the choice because he was better in training than the others.
Otto Addo said the 32-year-old shot-stopper justified his selection with his performance for his club as well as his effort in camp with the national team.
“He did well in training; we told the goalkeepers we would observe all of them. We saw a lot of games from all of them; it was a close race. They all did well at training; however, Asare did a bit better, and that is why we decided on him.”
The current Black Galaxies’ shot stopper had little to do during the game but scored full marks with his aerial abilities when it came to defending the corner kicks against Chad.
“He also communicated effectively with his defenders to keep the Chad frontline at bay,” he mentioned.
“For me, it is not about where you play; it’s truly about performance at your club and in our trainings,” he added.
Already drawing comparisons to former Hearts of Oak goalie, Sammy Adjei, fans have hailed the decision by Coach Addo to start him in his debut call-up and expect him to be kept in the post today against the Barea of Madagascar at the Grand Al Hoceima stadium in Aït Kamra, Morocco.
BY RAYMOND ACKUMEY
