Ghana coach Carlos Queiroz says his side’s lack of composure in front of goal proved decisive after the Black Stars suffered a 2-0 defeat to Ivory Coast in their opening 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier.
The Black Stars began their Group C campaign with defeat at the Stade de Bouaké, where Brighton forward Malick Yalcouyé opened the scoring before half-time, and captain Franck Kessié sealed victory from the penalty spot after the break.
Despite the result, Queiroz believes Ghana created enough chances to trouble the hosts but failed to find the clinical edge needed to get back into the contest.
“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, Côte d’Ivoire had more possession.”
The defeat leaves Ghana without a point after the opening round of qualifiers and increases the importance of Tuesday’s home fixture against The Gambia.
The Black Stars have since returned to Accra, where preparations are under way for the Group C encounter as they look to kickstart their qualification bid.
Queiroz’s side are attempting to secure a return to the Africa Cup of Nations after missing out on the previous edition, ending a streak of more than 20 years of consecutive appearances at the continental tournament.
With Ivory Coast making an early statement in the group, Ghana will be under pressure to respond against The Gambia to avoid falling further behind in the race for qualification.
