Chris Hughton expressed his concerns about the Black Stars’ defense, emphasizing that they allowed goals in Saturday’s international friendly.
In the match held at the Bank of America Stadium in North Carolina, the Black Stars failed to register a single shot on target and conceded two goals, resulting in a 2-0 loss to Mexico. This defeat also extended their winless streak against Mexico to four games.
This loss marked Hughton’s first since he assumed the role earlier this year. He promptly pointed out the defensive errors that led to Mexico’s goals, which were scored by Hirving Lozano and Uriel Antuna.
“The balance is if you don’t cope well enough in that period, then at least you’ve got to be secure enough and not give away goals,” he said. “I thought both the goals that we conceded, I think from our point of view, were two poor defensive goals.”
“Then it became an uphill battle, and I think we rallied around a little bit. In that final period of the game, I saw a good effort from the players in trying to get back into the game.”
The Black Stars have now arrived in Tennessee, where they will face the USA in their second friendly match during the October international window. The four-time African champions hope to avoid back-to-back defeats.