Black Stars coach, Carlos Queiroz, has accepted responsibility for Ghana’s disappointing 2-4 defeat to The Gambia in their 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier at the Accra Sports Stadium on Tuesday.
The Portuguese coach apologised to Ghanaians after the match, describing the defeat as one of those difficult days in football and pleading with the team’s supporters for forgiveness.
“I, the staff, all the players, we are deeply sad with the result that happened here today. And we have to say sorry to our fans, to our supporters, for what happened in the stadium.
“This was one of those days when everything went wrong for our team,” he said at the post-match press conference.
Queiroz admitted that conceding two goals in the first half significantly affected the team’s confidence, leaving the players nervous and contributing to their poor performance.
“We conceded two goals very easily, and those two goals turned the story of the game around.
“At the moment we should have gone for an easy result in the second half, conceding those two goals in the first half killed the morale and made my players nervous,” he explained.
The coach also cited the injury problems that have affected the squad as one of the challenges he faced in preparing the team for the encounter.
According to Queiroz, a series of injuries had depleted his options and forced the technical team to work with the players available for the match.
However, he acknowledged that the circumstances could not completely excuse the team’s performance, insisting that both the players and technical staff must take responsibility for the result.
The defeat is likely to increase pressure on Queiroz, who has been tasked with rebuilding the Black Stars following Ghana’s disappointing 2026 FIFA World Cup campaign.
Ghana must now regroup and respond in their subsequent AFCON qualifying assignments as they seek to revive their campaign.
