We deserve win over CAR – Otto Addo
The Head Coach of the Ghana Black Stars, Otto Addo, says his team deserved to win their 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Central African Republic (CAR), played at the Baba Yara Stadium in Kumasi on Monday.
Ghana beat CAR 4-3 to record its third win in four qualification games, with Jordan Ayew registering a hat-trick.
The coach in a post-match interview admitted there were some spells of poor play from the team, but believed the team adjusted well in the second half to win the game.
“We had problems in the first half trying to control the ball and finding spaces upfront. I take the blame. We adjusted in the second half; we deserved the win,” he emphasised.
He, however, urged Ghanaian football enthusiasts to be patient as there were effort to assemble a very good team for the qualifiers and one for the future.
“Rome was not built in a day. Forming a team takes time, and we must be patient. It cannot be attained in a haste so the fans must exercise some restraint.”
He expressed confidence in the team, acknowledging their youthfulness with a potential to develop and adapt to the team’s evolving dynamics.
The well-attended match saw Ghana open the scoring after just six minutes through a penalty from Ayew, when Fatawu Issahaku was fouled in the box.
While Ghana looked to build on their early lead, their dominance was truncated by a goal against the run of play as Mafouta outran both Mohammed Salisu and Alexander Djiku to net the equaliser in the 11th minute.
But, CAR ended the first half with the lead after Louis Mafouta netted a brace to overturn the result.
The Black Stars came back stronger in the second half, with two more goals from Jordan Ayew and another strike from Abdul Fatawu Issahaku propelling the hosts to a 4-3 win with CAR’s Mafouta also completing his hat-trick with a late goal.
FROM KINGSLEY E. HOPE, KUMASI
