Black Stars head coach Otto Addo has thrown down the gauntlet to his players ahead of their crucial World Cup qualifier against Mali, warning that only clinical finishing will guarantee Ghana the three points they desperately need.
The former Borussia Dortmund assistant’s rallying cry comes in the wake of Thursday’s frustrating 1-1 stalemate with Chad, a result that left fans questioning the team’s cutting edge in front of goal. Despite dominating possession and peppering Chad’s defence with attempts, Ghana failed to put the game to bed, forcing Addo to demand a sharper edge from his attack.
📸 Recovery work done at the Accra Sports Stadium. 🏟️
Focus locked on Monday’s big one.
🇬🇭 v 🇲🇱#BlackStars | #FIFAWCQ pic.twitter.com/2GJhgXJfcA— 🇬🇭 Black Stars (@GhanaBlackstars) September 6, 2025
“At the end, I can’t say we played excellent [against Chad], or we played well, because the result is everything, I know. If we had scored two or three goals, we would have talked differently, I know. But, again, respect to Chad for the good defending,” Addo admitted as he spoke to the press.
“I don’t know how many corners we had, we had a lot of corners, we did nothing out of that, we had a lot of shots, attempts on the goal, we had a lot of ball possession, and normally we have to win this game. So this is, at the end, surely not good enough, and we have to improve, especially on our execution,” he added, as quoted by ghanafa.org.
Owusu ruled out of Mali clash as Black Stars midfield crisis deepens
The draw, while disappointing, has not derailed Ghana’s campaign. The Black Stars remain perched atop Group I with 16 points, but with Mali lurking, there is little margin for error. Monday’s fixture at the Accra Sports Stadium now looms as a litmus test for Addo’s men, a chance to prove that dominance in possession can finally be translated into decisive goals.
Ghana’s preparations have already shifted focus, with Addo and his coaching team drilling home one clear message: possession is meaningless without precision.
