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The Black Stars of Ghana played the first of two friendly matches in the October international break on Sunday morning.
In a fierce contest against El Tri of Mexico, the Black Stars of Ghana suffered a defeat at the end of the 90 minutes.
The game played at the Bank of America Stadium saw Ghana matching Mexico boot for boot in the first half in a fierce showdown that kept spectators on their feet.
At the end of the goalless first half, Mexico managed to break down the defense of Ghana in the second half to cruise to victory.
The victors scored their first goal of the game in the 57th minute thanks to a strike from star attacker Hirving Lozano.
Later in the game, substitute Uriel Antuna equalised with a smart finish to seal a delightful 2-0 win for Mexico at the end of the 90 minutes.
Here are the three things learned from that game.
Ghana far from ready for 2023 AFCON
From the performance of the Black Stars in the game against Mexico, there is cause for worry.
If for nothing at all, one must be worried about the readiness of the national team for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations tournament.
Thankfully, this game was used to help the Black Stars prepare for the AFCON.
The Mexico game exposed the lack of intensity in the Black Stars.
Although players managed to go head to head with the players of the opposition, the Black Stars did not have the energy to continue in the second half.
This allowed Mexico to score the two goals after recess to win the game. Certainly, Black Stars head coach Chris Hughton has a lot of work to do to prepare his team for the 2023 AFCON.
Goalkeeping remains a big problem
The Black Stars in recent years have lacked a proper goalkeeper and have been forced to move from one shot-stopper to the other.
It appears the problem is still around and needs solving.
In the game against Mexico, Lawrence Ati-Zigi who was in post did make some good saves but could have avoided the opening goal.
His inability to organise his defense and take control is not helping the Black Stars. Hopefully, the problem will be solved as soon as possible.
Ghana needs to have a trusted goalkeeper before the start of the qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup and the 2023 AFCON.
Black Stars lack creativity
It was shocking to see the Black Stars struggle to create chances in the friendly against Mexico on Sunday.
Despite the quality on display, Ghana could not fire just one shot on target. The two strikers that featured in the game; Antoine Semenyo and Inaki Williams had no supply and had to go wide or come deep to receive the ball.
No through balls and a lack of good crosses into the box did not give the strikers enough to work with.
For Ghana to do well at the 2023 AFCON, coach Chris Hughton must find a way for players, especially midfielders to be creating chances for the strikers to score goals.
In a fierce contest against El Tri of Mexico, the Black Stars of Ghana suffered a defeat at the end of the 90 minutes.
The game played at the Bank of America Stadium saw Ghana matching Mexico boot for boot in the first half in a fierce showdown that kept spectators on their feet.
At the end of the goalless first half, Mexico managed to break down the defense of Ghana in the second half to cruise to victory.
The victors scored their first goal of the game in the 57th minute thanks to a strike from star attacker Hirving Lozano.
Later in the game, substitute Uriel Antuna equalised with a smart finish to seal a delightful 2-0 win for Mexico at the end of the 90 minutes.
Here are the three things learned from that game.
Ghana far from ready for 2023 AFCON
From the performance of the Black Stars in the game against Mexico, there is cause for worry.
If for nothing at all, one must be worried about the readiness of the national team for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations tournament.
Thankfully, this game was used to help the Black Stars prepare for the AFCON.
The Mexico game exposed the lack of intensity in the Black Stars.
Although players managed to go head to head with the players of the opposition, the Black Stars did not have the energy to continue in the second half.
This allowed Mexico to score the two goals after recess to win the game. Certainly, Black Stars head coach Chris Hughton has a lot of work to do to prepare his team for the 2023 AFCON.
Goalkeeping remains a big problem
The Black Stars in recent years have lacked a proper goalkeeper and have been forced to move from one shot-stopper to the other.
It appears the problem is still around and needs solving.
In the game against Mexico, Lawrence Ati-Zigi who was in post did make some good saves but could have avoided the opening goal.
His inability to organise his defense and take control is not helping the Black Stars. Hopefully, the problem will be solved as soon as possible.
Ghana needs to have a trusted goalkeeper before the start of the qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup and the 2023 AFCON.
Black Stars lack creativity
It was shocking to see the Black Stars struggle to create chances in the friendly against Mexico on Sunday.
Despite the quality on display, Ghana could not fire just one shot on target. The two strikers that featured in the game; Antoine Semenyo and Inaki Williams had no supply and had to go wide or come deep to receive the ball.
No through balls and a lack of good crosses into the box did not give the strikers enough to work with.
For Ghana to do well at the 2023 AFCON, coach Chris Hughton must find a way for players, especially midfielders to be creating chances for the strikers to score goals.