Carlos Queiroz says Ghana will defeat Cote d’Ivoire in the return fixture after the Black Stars began their 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign with a 2-0 loss in Bouake.
Speaking at a post-match news conference at the Stade de la Paix, Queiroz said he was very proud of his players and believed Ghana had created more clear attacking opportunities, despite Cote d’Ivoire enjoying greater possession.
We believe Ghana will equalize to have the same number of victories, he said. When Cote d’Ivoire come to play Ghana, we will level the head-to-head to 16 wins each. We are going to win. I have no doubt we are going to win that game.
Queiroz described the Group C opener as a highly competitive match between two teams who produced quality moments. He accepted that the hosts controlled possession for periods, but said Ghana were superior in attacking penetration.
In terms of possession, Cote d’Ivoire were better than us, but in terms of attacking penetration and creating opportunities, we were better, he said. We had four clear opportunities to score in front of goal, but it didn’t happen.
The Ghana manager was particularly critical of the penalty awarded to Cote d’Ivoire, which he said had made the result more difficult to recover from. He also questioned why VAR was not being used in Africa Cup of Nations qualifying matches.
That penalty is a joke, Queiroz said. When we are 1-0 down and we fight for our chances, somebody should not come in and make that decision.
He added: Why don’t we have VAR in Africa? What is the reason we don’t have VAR in a single Africa Cup of Nations qualifier?
Queiroz said his criticism was directed at the officiating rather than Cote d’Ivoire’s players, whom he congratulated for their performance. He said the difference between recovering from 1-0 down and 2-0 down was significant, while acknowledging the long-standing closeness of the rivalry, with Cote d’Ivoire now leading the head-to-head record 16-15.
The first goal came from a brilliant strike from outside the box after Ghana failed to cover the space, Queiroz said. He cited missed opportunities for Augustine, Benjamin and Sibo, and said Ghana needed greater inspiration in front of goal.
He also explained that Ghana adopted a more vertical approach, with Benjamin and Felix introduced to provide a different attacking option. The team created enough chances to score but have now failed to find the net in another match.
Queiroz insisted the defeat had not damaged Ghana’s confidence. The team lost one player during the match, he said, but the immediate priorities were recovery, preparing the squad and winning the next game at home.
This result will not affect our morale and our belief in our players, he said. It doesn’t affect absolutely anything.
