Otto Addo has urged caution after Ghana’s narrow 1-0 victory over Mali in Accra, reminding supporters that qualification for the 2026 World Cup is far from secured.
The Black Stars stayed top of Group I thanks to Alexander Djiku’s second-half strike, but Addo insisted the team still has hurdles to clear.
“Everybody was talking before the Chad game that we had already won,” Addo said. “It’s dangerous. We are not at the World Cup yet. We have a lot of work to do, and every opponent must be respected.”
Ghana were forced to dig deep after taking the lead, with Mali pressing late on. But Addo praised his young side for their resilience.
“You could see that we have a young squad and players who haven’t been playing often for the national team, so we were a little bit nervous here and there. But after 50 minutes we got into the game… then it was pure fight afterwards,” he explained.
Addo hailed Antoine Semenyo as “the lone fighter” up front and described debutant Kwasi Sibo as “a warrior throughout.”
The German trained gaffer also defended his decision to hold back substitutions, insisting Jordan Ayew and Mohammed Kudus “still had moments where they could create something,” while admitting Ghana failed to make the most of counter-attacking opportunities.
On Mali’s criticism of Ghana’s tactics, Addo was blunt: “We played a little more defensively because we knew they needed to win. What’s most important is the three points, and we got it.”
The Black Stars remain top of Group I with 19 points, ahead of their next test that comes away to the Central African Republic on 6 October, before they round off Group I against Comoros four days later.
By: Pascal Amoah
