Ghana’s interim head coach Otto Addo and defender Gideon Mensah are confident the Black Stars will secure qualification for the Qatar 2022 World Cup when they face Nigeria in the second leg of the play-off on Tuesday (today) at the Moshood Abiola National Stadium in Abuja.
Both sides played out a goalless draw four days ago in the first leg of the playoffs at the Baba Yara Stadium in Kumasi, but the Ghanaians believe that all is not yet over for the Black Stars.
Speaking ahead of the game, Addo said they had worked on areas that needed improvement, adding that the match was up for the taking for both sides.
“In the first leg, we had some chances and we had some situations, where the last passes weren’t connecting; we have improved on that, you will see. I don’t think we are better than Nigeria and I don’t also think Nigeria are better than us. It was an equal game and the second leg will also be equal,” Addo said in the pre-match press conference.
“All I know is that if we score one goal, it will hurt them more. We had some good performances, we had more ball possession and played well. Surely, we must improve and not allow Nigeria to get chances. In Ghana, they had some clear cut chances, so we had to cut them.”
Also, Black Stars defender Mensah, who plies his trade at Ligue 1 club Bordeaux, believes they will fight harder than they did in Kumasi to secure the World Cup ticket.
“We had a fighting spirit in the first leg in Kumasi and the game ended goalless, but we have won nothing, so, now we have to give more than we did in Kumasi and I’m sure we’re going to qualify.”
