Ghana suffered a 5-1 defeat to Austria in their pre-World Cup friendly at the Ernst Happel Stadium, with head coach Otto Addo admitting his side must improve, especially after a disappointing second-half display.
The Black Stars held their own in the opening half but went into the break trailing 1-0 after Marcel Sabitzer converted from the penalty spot in the 12th minute.
However, the second half exposed Ghana’s weaknesses as Michael Gregoritsch doubled the lead in the 51st minute before Stefan Posch added a third eight minutes later. Carney Chukwuemeka and Nicolas Seiwald then completed the scoring to hand Austria a comprehensive victory.
Despite the heavy defeat, the game serves as an important test for Ghana as they continue preparations for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
In a post-match presser, the enterprising gaffer admitted his side fell below expectations especially after the break and agrees that they will have to improve going forward
“And that is where we have to learn; we have to do better. The second half was really, really not good enough at all. I mean, everybody is playing for the World Cup,” he said.
“We need to play more intensely. I think—and I’m not saying we have to foul—we have to protect ourselves better. They had a lot of fouls, and I think we just had a few… We got one yellow card, and I expect much, much more against the ball, especially, and to go with the men, with the runners. We knew what they were doing, and there we have to be much, much better,” he added.
The Black Stars will now shift focus to their next friendly against Germany on Monday, March 30 in Stuttgart as they look to bounce back.
