Otto Addo urges Black Stars to be more decisive in final third

Ghana coach Otto Addo has called for greater sharpness in the final third after the Black Stars missed several chances in their 1-0 victory over Mali in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier at the Accra Sports Stadium.

The Black Stars created opportunities to put the contest beyond doubt, but were guilty of wastefulness in attack. Antoine Semenyo squandered a late first-half chance to give Ghana the lead before Alexander Djiku finally broke the deadlock with a scrappy 49th-minute strike.

After the goal, Kamaldeen Sulemana missed a promising opportunity when he chose not to square the ball to Inaki Williams, who was better positioned to score. Joseph Paintsil was also culpable, opting to feed Sulemana instead of Williams in another attack, with the Athletic Bilbao forward again in space. Those wrong choices left Ghana exposed, and Mali pushed hard for an equaliser in the closing stages.

Head coach Otto Addo admitted afterwards that his side’s decision-making in the final third must improve if they are to finish off opponents more convincingly.

“If you’ve played before, you know that sometimes there’s a little bounce from the ball or the position is tight and you think too much,” Addo said. “It’s normal as a footballer to look for the perfect solution, but sometimes you don’t need it. Sometimes you just rip the ball in, even if it’s one against three. The defender might score an own goal, you might hit the player, or you can win the second ball. We need to improve on that, for sure.”

While praising the resilience that earned Ghana three crucial points, the coach stressed that efficiency in front of goal will be vital in the decisive qualifiers to come.

The Black Stars face the Central African Republic in October, knowing a victory will all but secure their place at the 2026 World Cup.

By Enoch Fiifi Forson

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