On Monday, September 8, 2025, under the floodlights of Accra Sports Stadium, the Black Stars faced Mali in a match that mattered more than appearances. A few days earlier, against Chad, Ghana had stumbled when it mattered most.
They had led, they had controlled, and then they lost focus. One late lapse in concentration turned a crucial three points into a single, disappointing draw. Otto Addo, rather than owning the collapse, pointed to the “nature of the pitch.”
The excuses did little to soften the anger. A win would have virtually sealed Ghana’s place at the 2026 World Cup. Instead, Madagascar closed the gap at the top to three points, and the pressure shifted firmly onto Ghana’s next fixture against Mali.
This was not a game for flair. It was not a night for fancy patterns of play or adventurous experiments. For Otto Addo, it was survival.
Watch Jordan Ayew’s reaction to his substitution during Mali match
A formation built for fear
From the first whistle, Addo’s line-up told its own story. Alexander Djiku, Mohammed Salisu, and Jonas Adjetey formed the spine of a three-man defence, but in reality, it became a back five whenever Mali had possession of the ball. On the flanks, Gideon Mensah and Caleb Yirenkyi tracked back more often than they surged forward.
In midfield, the selection was even more telling. Beyond Mohammed Kudus, there was little creativity. Thomas Partey sat deep, anchoring play with his usual calm, while Kwasi Sibo, a late call-up drafted in after Ibrahim Sulemana’s injury, added grit and running.
Sibo was making his debut, yet he played with the poise of a veteran, breaking up attacks and plugging gaps. Still, the choice baffled some. “Why stack defensive-minded players in a must-win home game?” many wondered.
By halftime, the evidence seemed to support their doubts. Ghana had hogged possession, but their attacks were toothless. Mali, for all their pressure, were reduced to shots from distance, never truly troubling Benjamin Asare in goal.
The tension in the stadium was not just about the scoreline; it was about the manner of Ghana’s play.
Djiku delivers, then the storm
Barely minutes after the restart, the breakthrough came. Jordan Ayew swung a teasing cross into the box. Djiku lunged forward, bundling the ball into the net. It was scrappy, it was messy, but it was gold.
Ayew notched his fifth assist of the qualifiers, his eleventh direct goal involvement in eight games, a reminder of his understated influence.
The celebrations were brief. Almost immediately, Mali took control of the game. Attack after attack came in waves, the ball zipping across the Ghanaian penalty area.
The Black Stars, instead of pushing for a second, dropped even deeper. At times, they cleared the ball straight back to their opponents, choosing safety over possession.
It was football in its rawest form: survival.
Still, chances to kill the game emerged. Kamaldeen Sulemana burst down the flank on a counter, racing away from two defenders. Inaki Williams peeled away unmarked in the box, waving frantically for the ball. The pass never came. The moment slipped away.
Substitutions and scrutiny
By the 80th minute, fatigue began to show. Sibo, who had run himself into the ground, looked ready to come off. Addo prepared Jerome Opoku to add fresh legs to the defence. But fate intervened.
Djiku pulled up injured, forcing Addo to change his plan. Opoku replaced Djiku instead, leaving Sibo to soldier on.
For some, it was another sign of Addo’s lack of tactical imagination, a coach simply reacting rather than dictating. Yet, in truth, the decision was logical. With Djiku unable to continue, sticking with Sibo was the safer bet. Addo was not retreating; he was simply plugging the hole.
Mali coach Tom Saintfiet noted afterwards that he was surprised Ghana sat back. His tone, however, was laced with grudging respect. “If we were the better side, we would have won,” he said. “Since Ghana won, it means they were better.”
Otto Addo, though, was unmoved by the criticism.
“This is football. Sometimes you have to adjust the tactics. I knew they needed the win, so we played a bit more defensively. We had good headers in the team with three tall defenders, and that gave us stability. In the end, that’s his opinion, and I respect it. But we had our own plan, and the most important thing is the three points. We got them, and that’s what matters,” he said during his post-match conference.
Pragmatism or tactical poverty?
So the debate rages. Was this Otto Addo at his pragmatic best, reading the stakes and prioritising results over style? Or was it the portrait of a coach who lacks ideas when the game demands more?
There is a fine line between pragmatism and poverty of tactics. Pragmatism is deliberate, choosing to sit back, absorb pressure, and strike at the right moment. Tactical poverty is being forced to retreat because your team cannot keep the ball.
Ghana’s second half against Mali straddled that line. The Black Stars looked too comfortable without the ball, too willing to hand Mali the initiative. Yet, they stood tall. They fought. They survived.
This, perhaps, is where Addo’s defenders find their ground. Against Chad, Ghana lacked the mentality to finish the job. Against Mali, they put their bodies on the line, blocking shots, closing spaces, and scrapping for every second ball.
In the end, the result was exactly what the Black Stars needed: three points, top spot preserved, and qualification hopes still alive.
The stakes ahead
Otto Addo is not Milovan Rajevac, who turned Ghana into a defensive juggernaut in 2010. He is not Kwesi Appiah, who leaned on attacking verve to reach the 2014 World Cup. Addo sits somewhere in between: a coach still defining his style, still balancing caution with ambition.
Before facing Chad and Mali in September, his Black Stars had scored eight goals in two qualifiers: a 5–0 demolition of Chad in Accra and a commanding 3–0 win away to Madagascar, proof that when the occasion allows, he can set his team up to attack with freedom.
Perhaps his philosophy varies depending on the opponent and the situation. And in Accra against Mali, the situation demanded grit, not glamour.
But bigger battles lie ahead. Against tougher opposition, the Nigerias, the Moroccos, the European heavyweights in a World Cup setting, can Ghana rely on this same cautious approach? Or will Addo’s pragmatism be exposed as a lack of imagination?
The answers will come with time. What is certain is that against Mali, Otto Addo chose survival over style. Ghana got the win they desperately needed, but the manner of it offered little comfort.
The result keeps qualification hopes alive, yet it also leaves the lingering question of whether winning ugly can carry the Black Stars all the way.
FKA/EB
Meanwhile, watch the post-match conferences of Otto Addo and Tom Saintfiet after Ghana vs Mali game
