Black Stars Legend Criticises Otto Addo's Substitutions in Ghana’s Draw With Niger

• Augustine Arhinful has voiced his disappointment with coach Otto Addo's substitutions during Ghana’s 1-1 draw against Niger
• The Black Stars were unable to maintain their lead against underdogs Niger, resulting in a 1-1 stalemate
• The team will next face Kwesi Appiah's Sudan in a double-header in October when the qualifiers return

Former Ghana striker Augustine Arhinful has expressed his disappointment with Black Stars coach Otto Addo's substitutions during the 1-1 draw against Niger in the 2025 AFCON qualifiers.

Arhinful specifically criticised the decision to substitute Majeed Ashimeru for Elisha Owusu while Ghana was leading by a single goal, arguing that Owusu's introduction had little effect on the match.

He suggested that Addo should have waited until the final minutes before making such a defensive change.

"When Ashimeru was leaving the game, I told my brother I don’t know why he [Addo] was bringing Owusu on at that point. Let's ask ourselves, what did Owusu do when he came on? You can bring him on with two or three minutes left," Arhinful said in an interview with Peace FM via Football Ghana.

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Ghana took the lead in the first half with Alidu Seidu scoring from a Mohammed Kudus assist, but Niger later equalised through defender Oumar Sako.

Reflecting on the game, Arhinful remarked:

"We were controlling possession, but what was the end result? Were we just trying to protect a one-goal lead? The team dropped too deep, and I’m not sure what instructions were given to Owusu and Partey. They need to reassess and improve."

What's next for the Black Stars?

The Black Stars will shift their focus to their next qualifier against Sudan in a two-legged game in October before matches against Niger and Angola in November, per US Soccerway.

Ghana will have to win at least three of those games and draw another to be in a good standing to qualify for the tournament in Morocco.

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Should the Black Stars fail to qualify for the tournament, it will be the first time since 2004 that the West Africans are missing the competition.

Ghana draw with Niger in Morocco

Earlier, YEN.com.gh reported that an Oumar Sako close-range strike denied Ghana victory in their Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers after sharing the spoils with Niger in Morocco.

Alidu Seidu had given the Black Stars a first-half lead following a dominant display, but a dogged second-half display saw the host match Ghana evenly.

The Black Stars started the game brightly and just a minute into the match Inaki Williams tested the Nigerien goalkeeper.

Source: AFP