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The Black Stars' performance was criticised by former player Emmanuel Agyemang Badu after they were defeated 2-0 by Sudan in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers.
Ghana and Sudan squared off in the second leg of Matchday Four on Tuesday afternoon at the Martyrs of February Stadium.
Following a goalless first half, Sudan took advantage of a defensive blunder by Ghana in the 62nd minute to break the stalemate. Ahmed Hamed Mahmoud scored the first goal.
Three minutes later, Sudan's lead was increased by Mohammed Abdelrahman, leaving the Black Stars unable to respond and putting more strain on head coach Otto Addo and his technical staff.
Agyemang Badu expressed dissatisfaction with the national team's strategy and general condition during an interview, criticising their performance without holding back. We no longer need to sugarcoat the situation since the national team is in a bad place.
I'm personally worn out. We must return to the fundamentals and exercise humility. Nothing is happening, the former U-20 World Cup winner said to Onua FM, from the local league to the U-17, U-20, and U-23 teams, the local Black Stars, and even the women's teams like the U-17, U-20, and Black Queens.
“For the last 15 matches, the Black Stars have won only two games. People thought we would win because we created chances last week but couldn’t score. But even if we win this match, the team still isn’t good. We’ve changed coaches six times, yet the same problems persist. I think there are people who are escaping accountability.”
He continued to criticise the players’ performances, saying, “These are the players who perform well for their clubs, but once they come to play for Ghana, everything changes. Even simple ball control becomes difficult. Look at the goal we conceded—two defenders and the player passes between them. I don’t know if they were trying to block the ball or what. The basic thing in football is to clear the ball. If you do that, what’s the harm? We lack team, character, passion—everything. You can’t defend these kinds of mistakes.”
Agyemang Badu also called attention to the team's ineffectiveness with set pieces, stating, "We had over thirty set pieces in our last two games, and not a single one was converted." Individual attempts are failing, our open play is failing, and even set pieces are failing to produce results.
The Black Stars have only two points from their four games, which puts them in third place in Group F. They will play a home game against Niger to round up their qualifying before heading to Angola the following month.
Source: Adomonline