Ghana coach Carlos Queiroz believes his side’s lack of cutting edge in front of goal proved decisive after the Black Stars opened their 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign with a 2-0 defeat to Ivory Coast.The four-time African champions were beaten at the Stade de Bouak on Friday, with Brighton forward Malick Yalcouy giving the hosts a first-half lead before captain Franck Kessi wrapped up the victory from the penalty spot after the break.Despite the result, Queiroz felt Ghana created enough opportunities to trouble the Elephants but failed to capitalise on their best moments.”Augustine had a wonderful opportunity, Benjamin had another opportunity, Sibo also had a strike,” the Portuguese coach said after the match.”I think the difference was exactly that we lacked a little bit of inspiration in our finishing moment. We played differently. As I said, Cote d’Ivoire had more possession.”Ivory Coast enjoyed the greater share of possession for much of the contest, but Ghana fashioned several openings that could have changed the outcome before Kessi’s spot-kick secured all three points for the hosts.The defeat leaves the Black Stars with work to do early in Group C as they attempt to return to the continental showpiece after missing out on the previous AFCON – a failure that ended a run of more than two decades of consecutive appearances at the tournament.Ghana have since returned to Accra, where attention has quickly shifted to Tuesday’s home fixture against The Gambia.Queiroz’s side will be seeking their first points of the qualifying campaign as they look to revive their hopes of securing a place at the 2027 finals.
Source link
- Advertisement -
