In a recent international friendly at the Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, USA, the Black Stars faced a formidable opponent in Mexico, resulting in a 2-0 defeat. Chris Hughton, the head coach of the Ghanaian national team, partly attributes the loss to Mexico’s familiarity with the stadium pitch
The defeat marked the end of Hughton’s unbeaten run with the Black Stars, as Ghana conceded two goals in the sloppy second half.
Addressing the media in the post-match press conference, the former Brighton boss emphasized the challenge posed by Mexico, highlighting their advantage due to being accustomed to the playing surface.
The turning point in the game occurred in the 57th minute when PSV forward Hirving Lozano capitalized on Ghana’s defensive lapses to score the opening goal. Dynamo Moscow’s Uriel Antuna secured the victory for Mexico in the 72nd minute by exploiting a gap in Ghana’s defense.
Looking ahead, the Black Stars aim to bounce back in their next match against the United States at Geodis Park in Tennessee, scheduled for Wednesday dawn at 12:30 A.M.
I think we knew we were up against a very good Mexican team playing at home on a surface that they are used to so we knew it was going to be a tough opposition, Coach Hughton explained.
I thought in the first half period we coped well even though we didn’t create the amount of chances that we would have liked to have done but I think we had reasonable good control of the game, he added.
Some Ghanaians however have attributed the defeat to the failing form of the players and the absence of team cohesiveness which are required to face tough teams like Mexico.
