Ghana’s Black Stars head coach, Otto Addo, expressed his disappointment and frustration after his team’s 1-1 draw against Niger in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier. Despite taking the lead through Alidu Seidu’s stunning goal, Ghana’s defensive lapses in the final moments of the game allowed Niger to equalise and claim a point.
Addo was scathing in his assessment of his team’s performance, particularly in the last 10 minutes of the game. “I am not satisfied at all. I am really disappointed, to be honest,” he said. “We talked and trained on set pieces; we discussed situations that could happen, but the way we defended in the last 10 minutes was really, really bad.”
The coach felt that his team had the game under control but failed to close out the win due to defensive mistakes. “We allowed some counter situations where we didn’t close the gaps well, but once we got the lead, I thought things would get easier,” he added.
Addo also emphasised the importance of winning the next game, given the pressure on the team. “We allowed two cheap goals; we’re under pressure, and we need to win the next game,” he stressed.
The draw against Niger follows a disappointing performance over the international break, which also saw Ghana lose to Angola.
