Ghana coach Chris Hughton acknowledged a poor first-half performance but was pleased with his team’s 1-0 victory against Madagascar in Kumasi on Friday, which kicked off their 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign.
Inaki Williams, who joined Ghana from Spain in June last year, scored the game’s lone goal.
Hughton stated following the match, “The first-half performance needs improvement, but the second-half performance was better.” Despite the less-than-ideal start, Williams’ close-range header provided a winning beginning and gave the fans a reason to celebrate.
Hughton underlined the significance of winning the upcoming game against Comoros in Moroni, adding, “The importance of the win is massive. We would have loved to have done it more comfortably in the first half, but that’s football. All you look is to get some momentum from this. We all hope that the momentum from the second half will be taken into Comoros.”
The Black Stars hope to finish first in their group, which also includes Mali, Chad, and the Central African Republic, in order to qualify for the World Cup, which the United States, Mexico, and Canada will host. The emphasis is now on maintaining momentum and solid performance in the next matches.
