Former Ghana international Ali Jarah has stepped in to defend Lawrence Ati-Zigi following the Black Stars’ heavy defeat to Austria, insisting the scoreline does not reflect the goalkeeper’s individual performance.
Ati-Zigi, who plays club football for FC St. Gallen, was between the posts during Ghana’s 5-1 loss in an international friendly staged at the Ernst Happel Stadium on Friday, March 27. While the five goals conceded have drawn criticism, Jarah believes the blame has been misdirected.
“The goals we conceded were not goalkeeping errors. I think Ati-Zigi performed well against Austria; he made three good saves. The problem I saw was communication between him and the defense,” he told Connect FM.
Jarah went further to contextualize the numbers often used to judge goalkeepers, highlighting the contrast between Ati-Zigi and fellow Ghanaian shot-stopper Benjamin Asare.
🧤 Benjamin Asare in action ⚽️#BlackStars pic.twitter.com/kMh8MJtbfA
— 🇬🇭 Black Stars (@GhanaBlackstars) March 27, 2026
According to him, the disparity in goals conceded is largely situational rather than a reflection of quality.
“One thing that Ghanaians need to know about Benjamin Asare and Ati-Zigi is that Asare doesn’t concede a lot when he is the poles. It’s like Salifu Ansah and Mohammed Odoom; one faces the ball more, which results in conceding more goals,” he added.
Drawing a practical conclusion, Jarah stressed the need for collective responsibility rather than isolating the goalkeeper when results go wrong.
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“What we need to do is that if Ati-Zigi is in our poles, we have to score at least 2 goals to be in control of games,” he added.
The Black Stars now turn their attention to a tougher test as they conclude their March international window against Germany in Stuttgart, hoping for a stronger and more cohesive performance.
