Two months before the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, the Ghana team was beaten 3-0 by that of Brazil, this September 23 in Le Havre (France). An unconvincing performance by Black Stars who will face Portugal, South Korea and Uruguay at the World Cup.
Facing Brazil, the Black Stars even suffered a real tidal wave in the first period. The Brazilians could have led 5-0 at the break.
They returned to the locker room with a comfortable lead, thanks to a header from defender Marquinhos (1-0, 9th) and a brace from striker Richarlison: an instant recovery from a low cross by Neymar (2-0, 28th) and a header from a free kick by the same Neymar (3-0, 40th).
In the second half, defender Mohammed Salisu and striker Inaki Williams came on to reinvigorate a lost team that had relied too much on individual exploits.
The Ghanaians then showed themselves to be more compact than during the first act. André Ayew was even very close to reducing the score with a whim, but the ball was deflected by the crossbar (56th).
” My selection was not a gamble. It was a decision of complex things. Line up was good but we had to work harder to close the spaces… I think I made mistakes , I learnt a lot more about my players , and picking the next 11 will depend on the performance in the next game , ” the coach Otto Addo stressed after the match.
Brazilian coach Tite, however, hailed his victim of the evening:
“Ghana is a team with technical quality. They have players with strong individual qualities, players who can make a difference. There are many good ones including André Ayew who is very strong.”
The Black Stars will now try to restore some confidence, facing a much more modest opponent: Nicaragua, on September 27 in Spain.
On November 24, for their debut in Group H of the World Cup, it will be yet another story, with Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal.
Source: AfrikPage