THE BLACK Stars of Ghana succumbed to a 2-1 loss to their fierce rival NIgerai in the 2025 Unity Cup at Brentford’s GTech Stadium in Londn on Wednesday night.
The much changed Ghanaian side which lacked its main starters, with key players like Mohammged Kudus missing, showed resielience and promise but those were not enough to secure them the much-needed victory to play in the final.
The first half of the game started a bit slow as both sides tested out each other’s strength although Nigeria showed more willingness which resulted in their goals in the first 20 minutes.
The game eventually picked pace and the Nigerians grabbed the opening goal of the game through Cyrill Dessers in the 14th minute before Richard Simpson put the ball in his own net in the 19th minute to give the Nigerians a two-goal lead.
The Black Stars picked up form in the second half that saw the team create more chances and pin Nigeria into their half for a significant part of the half.
Ghana eventually pulled one goal back through substitute Brandon Thomas-Asante in the 70th minute but the Stars failed to find a second goal to force the game into extra time.
The result means the Black Stars will settle for a third-place finish if they win Against Trinidad and Tobago who also lost their opening game to Jamaia in a 3-2 thriller the previous night.
Head Coach Otto Addo speaking after the game said his side’s lack of aggression and cohesion in the first half was the decisive factor to their loss.
“Nigeria had a more mature team that could adapt faster, and we struggled with duels, pressing, and defensive structure,” he added.
BY Gibril Abdul Razak
The post Black Stars Lose To Nigeria, Eyes Third Place appeared first on DailyGuide Network.
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