Former Ghana midfielder Derek Boateng has criticised the tactical decisions made by Carlos Queiroz, insisting the Black Stars’ defeat to Colombia at the 2026 FIFA World Cup was heavily influenced by the coach’s starting lineup.
Ghana’s campaign came to an end after a narrow 1-0 loss to Colombia in the Round of 32 at Kansas City Stadium on Saturday, with an early strike from Jhon Arias proving enough to send the South Americans into the next stage.
Reflecting on the performance, Boateng argued that Ghana never managed to impose themselves on the contest, claiming Colombia controlled the tempo from the opening minutes while the Black Stars struggled to compete in key areas of the pitch.
Speaking on GTV SportsPlus, the former Black Stars midfielder, who represented Ghana at both the 2006 and 2010 FIFA World Cups, suggested the coaching staff got their selection wrong for such an important fixture.
“We didn’t play our game from the beginning; the Colombians dictated the game for us; they played the type of game they wanted to play,” Boateng said. “And we were just chasing them all the time, and what is sad is that we lost all the second balls in the game.”
“We couldn’t win any second balls, and that’s what they were doing; they hurt so much with the second balls, and they pass the ball so easily.”
Boateng particularly questioned Queiroz’s decision to restore Lawrence Ati-Zigi to the starting lineup after injury, leaving Benjamin Asare on the bench despite the Hearts of Oak goalkeeper’s impressive performances during the group stage. He also pointed to the omission of Jonas Adjetey, who had featured strongly earlier in the tournament, with Derick Luckassen preferred in central defence.
⏱️ Full-time in Kansas. Our #FIFAWorldCup campaign comes to an end in the Round of 32.
🇨🇴 Colombia 1️⃣-0️⃣ Ghana 🇬🇭#BlackStars pic.twitter.com/dz9O3rQug0
— 🇬🇭 Black Stars (@GhanaBlackstars) July 4, 2026
For Boateng, those changes disrupted the balance of the side and reduced Ghana’s ability to cope with Colombia’s physical and tactical intensity.
“It’s got to be important that the players the coach will choose for the first eleven because I don’t know why Asare didn’t play,” he added.
“It’s really important with the kind of players you put in this game because it’s not every player you can put in this kind of game.”
The former midfielder maintained that Ghana possessed players capable of matching Colombia’s energy but felt they were overlooked in favour of selections that failed to deliver on the day.
“You need players who can run, who can match the Colombians, and we had those players on the bench. I don’t blame the players; I have to look at the coaching because the coaches, what are they doing there? So for me, I feel like from the start of the game we lost already because of the players chosen.”
Colombia struck what proved to be the decisive goal in the 14th minute when Jhon Arias finished from close range after being picked out by Luis Suárez. Despite pushing for an equaliser after the interval, Ghana were unable to break down the Colombian defence as their World Cup adventure came to an end.
🗣️ @gideonmensah_14: “We don’t take your sacrifice for granted.” https://t.co/fVbljvh0YM
— 🇬🇭 Black Stars (@GhanaBlackstars) July 5, 2026
The Black Stars had progressed beyond the group stage as one of the competition’s best third-placed teams after defeating Panama 1-0, drawing 0-0 with England and losing 2-1 to Croatia.
Following the tournament, Queiroz confirmed his departure from the national team after the expiration of his short-term contract, bringing an end to his brief spell in charge.
Ghana will now shift focus to preparations for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers, with the opening matches scheduled for September.
