The Black Stars were held to a goalless draw with Sudan in their third match of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers at the Accra Sports Stadium, in what was a horror show of chances missed.
Ghana had great moments of getting into the lead against Sudan through the likes of Antoine Semenyo, Mohammed Kudus and Inaki Williams, but failed to do so and left many fans disappointed with what they witnessed on the day.
Here are five things we learnt from Ghana’s stalemate with Sudan at the Accra Sports Stadium
A lack of cutting edge in front of goal
The Black Stars’ attacking forwards combined in many great ways to create goal-scoring opportunities required to grab all three points on the day but lacked the cutting edge in front of goal in what was a horror show of several missed chances from the likes of Kudus, Semenyo and Williams.
Ghana head coach Otto Addo has a mandate to ensure his team rediscovers its best level in converting chances if they want to stand a chance of reaching their 11th straight AFCON.
Alidu Seidu was crucial once again
Alidu Seidu was one of Ghana’s brightest players on the pitch with endless moments of promise on and off the ball, and must keep his place as a starter in the Black Stars setup.
Seidu did well to combine with his wingers on the day, carving chances out of nothing, while equally defending at a truly resolute level.
His abilities will once again be needed against Sudan on Monday in what is expected to be a highly-anticipated battle.
Ghana’s backline remains efficient once afforded consistency
Ghana’s back four on the day in Gideon Mensah, Alidu Seidu, Alexander Djiku and Mohammed Salisu did well to nullify the attacking threat of Sudan.
The visitors appeared to rely heavily on a low defensive block and quick transitions in attack to catch the Black Stars off guard in order to gain the result.
However, Ghana’s backline kept it simple and will have to replicate their clean sheet earned on Thursday against Sudan come Monday, if they desire a chance to grabbing the victory.
Given Ghana’s poor record of goal concession particularly under Otto Addo, this was a massive improvement.
Otto Addo needs to find a constant attacking line
The boss, Otto Addo is under pressure after securing only two points from a possible nine in Group F in the qualifying series.
The Black Stars have had frequent rotations in attack over the past few matches especially in the wide areas with Ernest Nuamah, Fatawu Issahaku, Antoine Semenyo and Inaki Williams all serving as options.
However, Addo needs to find out who out of his options remain the constant starters in the wide areas of his team so as to provide consistency in finding the goals.
Ghana’s qualification hinges on perfect finish
It is do or die affair now for the Black Stars who know that dropping points against Sudan on Monday could be detrimental to their hopes of reaching an 11th straight AFCON.
Should they drop points again on Monday, only two matches would remain, and this would further slim down their chances of remaining on the continental front, two decades on after they failed to qualify for Tunisia 2004.
