Ghana’s Black Stars have put their 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualification hopes in jeopardy after failing to pick up a win in their first two matches of the qualifying campaign.

Otto Addo’s men conceded late and eventually succumbed to a defeat inflicted by Angola in Kumasi before playing out a 1-1 draw against Niger. The disappointing results leave Ghana wobbling on the edge, with just a point from a possible six.

The Black Stars now find themselves in third place, trailing Angola (6 points) and Sudan (3 points) in the race for a spot in next year’s tournament.

The JoySports team breaks down the lessons learned from the two encounters, as the pressure mounts on Ghana to turn things around.

Turf not a major issue

The Baba Yara Sports Stadium became a central topic of discussion after Ghana's loss to Angola, with the National Sports Authority facing heavy criticism for the bumpy pitch. Ghana coach Otto Addo partially blamed the defeat on the playing surface.

In response, NSA Deputy Director General Bawa Majeed posed the ironic question of whether Angola “were playing in the sky", a comment that while unedifying, managed to shift the conversation away from the result and onto the poor condition of the pitch.

Ghana’s second match against 125th-ranked Niger at the Berkane Municipal Stadium in Morocco - home to two-time CAF Confederation Cup winners RS Berkane - came with heightened expectations.

However, it was the same old story for the Black Stars, as the team struggled to break down a Niger side that had conceded five goals in their previous five matches. It took an unlikely scorer in Alidu Seidu, whose stunning strike just before half-time broke the deadlock.

On a 'proper' turf, the barometer of success would have been a convincing win. But for the umpteenth time, Ghana’s leaky defense was palpable, as the hosts managed more attempts on goal (14) and eventually equalised, and earned a well-deserved point after a gutsy performance.

While the Kumasi pitch may have been low-quality, Otto Addo and his team will surely recognize that having just one point from two matches is a fair reflection of their performance.

Black Stars ‘generous’ defense persists

Ghana once had the reputation of the "one-goal project", known for expertly defending a lead, particularly during the 2010 era when the nation reached its peak, making it to the AFCON final and the quarter-finals of the World Cup.

Over a decade later, that once parsimonious defense has become the nation’s Achilles' heel. Ghana conceded six goals in three matches at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, allowed four in two 2026 World Cup qualifiers in June, and have now conceded two in the 2025 AFCON qualifiers.

To put it into perspective, Ghana have kept just one clean sheet in 2024 - a goalless draw in an international friendly with Namibia in January. The recent defensive displays in the qualifiers do not bode well for the nation.

Dearth of left-backs

Typical right-back Alidu Seidu barely put a foot wrong while playing as a makeshift left-back, particularly from a defensive standpoint, showing good anticipation when tracking back and diving into tackles. Offensively, he netted an absolute belter against Niger, but that doesn’t overshadow his shortcomings in fulfilling other essential duties of a left-back.

After 180 minutes of football, the 24-year-old had a 0% success rate from his four crossing attempts, with just one key pass. This highlights the challenge of lacking the awareness to perform effectively on both ends, as a trained left-back would.

He was tasked with filling the void left by the established Gideon Mensah, who picked up an injury just before the qualifiers. Baba Rahman, who used to be the nation’s number one, has been reluctant to feature for the Black Stars due to extreme criticism over his performances, further complicated by his relationship with Ghana FA boss Kurt Okraku. Ebenzer Annan, who is yet to make a competitive debut for Ghana, was an option in the squad but Otto Addo just did not want to roll the dice.

Decent job by Seidu, but the technical team should not rely solely on the combative defender. They need to widen their search globally for a suitable replacement for Mensah should he be absent again.

‘Toothless’ attack

Ghana did not have a challenge finding the back of the net, having scored in their last seven matches across all competitions. The problem has always been a lack of killer instinct and appetite for real destruction.

However, this time around, Ghana struggled to break down their opponents, with most attempts being blocked. Over the two games, the Black Stars created four big chances -two per game on average which is not enough to boost their scoring ability - and scored one goal.

Strikers predominantly thrive on service and can become anonymous without it. Forwards like Mohammed Kudus, Inaki Williams, Jordan Ayew, and Antoine Semenyo are known for their scoring ability.

Hopefully, this is just a blip. The minor issues need to be addressed before they become major problems.

Black Stars job ‘tougher’ than imagined

After a disastrous group-stage exit from the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast, morale was low until Otto Addo stepped in, and markedly improved the team which had a ripple effect among Ghanaians.

This was on the back of the consecutive significant wins away to Mali in Bamako and against the Central African Republic in Kumasi, putting the team right in contention for a slot at the 2026 World Cup.

However, this rosy period seems to have hit a reality check as the Black Stars were brought down to earth by Angola and Niger, who are not part of Africa’s top 15 football nations, according to the latest FIFA World rankings.

Ghana coach Otto Addo admitted he “never thought” his side would lose to Angola and was very “disappointed, to be honest” after the draw with Niger. The job appears to be much more difficult than the 49-year-old had envisioned.

He must now dust himself off and address the troubling issues before Ghana's double-header against Sudan in October.