Black Stars head coach Otto Addo has explained that Ghana’s failure to kill off their 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Chad was down to a difficult playing surface and wasted opportunities.
Ghana were held to a 1-1 draw at the Stade Olympique Maréchal Idriss Déby Itno, despite dominating possession and creating clear chances.
Addressing whether his players eased off after taking the lead, Addo dismissed the suggestion, instead pointing to the poor state of the pitch.
“No, no. Surely not. I think it’s very difficult to play on this terrain when it’s not watered. We can’t play fast, so it’s a disadvantage for us. The boys play in Europe on wet pitches where they can move the ball quickly, but here it was very slow, so it’s difficult to outplay defenders,” he explained.
“But also, I have to say, Chad did well in defending, and they didn’t allow too many chances.”
Addo, however, admitted that Ghana should have been more clinical in front of goal.
“For me, the most important thing is, the three or four good chances we had — we should have scored the second goal, to make our opponent weak, and also mentally weak, and us stronger. But we didn’t use our chances,” he said.
“Like I said before, in football, sometimes it’s like that. If you don’t use the three or four good chances you have, sometimes you’re unlucky and you’ll get one. Chad played very well at the end.”
The result leaves Ghana still top of the group but under pressure heading into their next qualifier against Mali in Accra on Monday, September 8, 2025.
