Chris Hughton – Head Coach of the Black Stars has expressed dissatisfaction with his team’s attacking display in their scoreless stalemate against the Barea of Madagascar in the penultimate Group E match of the 2023 African Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers.
Ghana missed the chance to seal qualification for next year’s AFCON with a game to spare, as they would need results against the Central African Republic in the last group game scheduled for September in Ghana.
The Black Stars, despite the draw, lead the group with nine points, followed by Angola with eight points while the Central African Republic have seven points.
Madagascar has no chance of qualification as they are bottom with two points.
Speaking after the game, Coach Hughton stated they had the majority of possession, but couldn’t capitalise because they failed to create enough opportunities.
‘The game was tough; just as in every game, there’s no easy game on the continent.
‘We had a lot of possession even in the first half, but to change the momentum of the game, you needed to score. Because the longer the game goes when you don’t score, you give Madagascar encouragement.
‘They are playing in front of the home supporters who were cheering them on, and they were growing in confidence, so at any stage we needed to score to change the feeling of the game.
‘We had a lot of possession, but we didn’t create enough clear chances, and when you are unable to do this, it’s very difficult to win games,’ he said.
The Black Stars would be seeking their 24th qualification to the AFCON as the host Central African Republic in September, needing to avoid defeat to clinch one of the two spots.
Source: Ghana News Agency