Mensah rues missing key Stars for Angola, Niger matches
Black Stars defender, Gideon Mensah, believes that missing several players for tomorrow’s 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifier against Angola and Niger on Monday is a significant setback for the squad, but they are focused on winning their last two matches.
The Black Stars of Ghana commenced camping on Monday at the Accra Sports Stadium, with eight players attending the first training session ahead of the team’s final two matches against Angola and Niger.
Eight players have already withdrawn from the squad owing to injuries; they include Ibrahim Osman, Jerome Opoku, Jonas Adjetey, Tariq Lamptey, Alexander Djiku, and Inaki Williams
Speaking to the media after their first training session, Mensah emphasised the importance of every player called to the national team but stressed that missing some players was a huge blow for the team.
“We are made for this; the journey is not going to be always smooth. We have reached the point where we have to hope and work for ourselves. We are going to watch the other game and see what is going to happen, but the focus is on winning our six points,” he said.
The AJ Auxerre defender added that they were mentally prepared for the upcoming encounters and would be looking to redeem themselves after a poor start to the qualifiers.
The Black Stars would face Angola at the Estádio 11 de Novembro in Luanda tomorrow and host Niger at the Accra Sports Stadium three days later. –GNA
