Head coach of the Black Stars, Otto Addo, has admitted that his players failed to give their best following Ghana’s disappointing 1-1 draw with Angola in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers.
He explained that the Angolans deserved to win the game over the Black Stars because they pressed relentlessly for the full 90 minutes, putting Ghana under pressure throughout the match.
Otto criticised the performance of the Black Stars players, who, according to him, were not delivering at the top level, showing low intensity and less eagerness to win the game.
He added that the team’s inability to win their home games in the qualifiers hurt their chances of qualifying for the 2025 AFCON.
Speaking to the press after the match, Otto Addo congratulated Angola for their impressive performance in the qualifying stage and for making it to the 2025 AFCON.
“Congratulations to Angola for qualifying for the AFCON. They didn’t have anything to lose today. You could see they could play freely. We were a little bit more under pressure. They pressed us very well, held us down in our half. It was difficult for us to play, but we were missing our intensity.
“I think it was not good enough from our side. We have to look at the whole games, especially our home game, we lost, also to Angola, where we were better. In these tournaments, you have to win your home games, very important. And if you don’t win, it’s always difficult to play away and to try and win,” he said.
After the draw against Sudan, Ghana now sit at the bottom of Group F, with just three points from five matches, two losses and three draws.
Their final game, against Niger on November 18, 2025, will be a mere formality, as Ghana’s hopes of qualifying have already been dashed.
Angola, having secured their place in the tournament, lead the group with 13 points, while Sudan and Niger sit on 7 and 4 points, respectively.
‘It was not good enough’
Otto Addo on Black Stars‘ 1-1 draw against Angola and their failure to qualify for the AFCON.#JoySports pic.twitter.com/G9tOP3Ec4k
— #JoySports (@JoySportsGH) November 16, 2024
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