Black Stars head coach Chris Hughton says he was disappointed with his team for failing to score a goal against Madagascar in their Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifier.
Ghana faced Madagascar at Antananarivo in their penultimate game of the qualifiers on Sunday, June 18, knowing that a win would see them secure early qualification to the AFCON to be staged in Ivory Coast.
However, the Black Stars played out a frustrating stalemate against the Barea with no goals recorded while the team also failed to create clear-cut chances.
Speaking after the draw, Hughton, whose frustration was seen in the course of the game, didn’t hide his dissatisfaction with the results.
“Yes, we are very disappointed. We came with an attitude and mindset to win but to win a football match you need to score goals,” the 64-year-old said.
“We found it difficult today. The pitch is difficult, it’s an uneven pitch but it’s the same for both teams and we needed to be forceful in the key areas to create more opportunities to score so the fact that we didn’t score is the most disappointing thing.”
Madagascar may be out of the race for an AFCON slot but the draw felt like a win for them as their fans cheered them on throughout the entire game.
Hughton adds that the support from the crowd made the game difficult for his team.
“The game was tough, just as in every game, there’s no easy game on the continent. We had a lot of possession even in the first half but to change the momentum of the game, you needed to score. Because the longer the game goes when you don’t score, you give Madagascar the encouragement,” he added.
“They are playing in front of the home supporters who were cheering them on and they were growing in confidence so at any stage we needed to score to change the feeling of the game. We had a lot possession but we didn’t create enough clear chances and when you are unable to do this, it’s very difficult to win games.”
The Black Stars will need a draw against Central Africa Republic in their last game in September if they are to make the trip to Ivory Coast as they only command a one-point in Group E.