The Black Stars have returned home after securing a point against Chad in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers on Thursday, September 4, 2025.
Ghana conceded in the 90th minute after opening the scoring in the 17th minute through Jordan Ayew at the Marshal Idriss Deby Itno Olympic Stadium.
Otto Addo’s men failed to capitalise on their early advantage despite creating several opportunities to seal the match.
Antoine Semenyo squandered two clear chances, including a one-on-one with the goalkeeper, while Mohammed Kudus’ curling effort narrowly missed the target.
The missed chances proved costly as Chad struck late. In the 90th minute, Celestine Ecua surged through midfield and unleashed a shot that deflected off Caleb Yirenkyi into the net, handing the hosts their first point of the campaign after six straight defeats.
The result leaves Ghana ruing a wasted opportunity, as Chad celebrated their first home game in six years with a valuable draw.
The Black Stars will now focus on the game against Mali at the Accra Sports Stadium on Monday, September 8, 2025.
Ghana leads Group I with 16 points, 3 points ahead of second-placed Madagascar and 4 points clear of Mali, who are in third place after seven matchdays in the African Qualifiers.
Ghana coach Otto Addo has shared his disappointment after the Black Stars were held to a 1-1 draw by Chad in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
The result leaves Ghana with just a point from the fixture, despite taking an early lead and dominating much of the contest.
Speaking at the post-match press conference, Addo admitted that his side failed to capitalise on their chances and paid the price late in the game.
“Yeah, very disappointing. Just one point for us. It’s not easy for us to play on this ground, in the heat, but we have to take it,” he said.
“We came in well to score the first goal, continued to dominate, and created a lot of chances. But we were not sharp enough to use them,” Addo stated.
The Black Stars saw their advantage cancelled out by a deflected effort — Chad’s first real attempt on target. Addo acknowledged the cruel nature of the equaliser but admitted his team should have secured the win earlier.
“Unluckily, the first shot from Chad, which hit the target, entered the net. It was a deflection, but this is football sometimes, you know. We had a lot of chances, we could have killed the game before — or we must have killed the game before — but we didn’t do it,” he explained.
Despite the setback, the coach was gracious in his assessment of the hosts, praising both Chad’s resilience and the support from their fans.
“I want to congratulate Chad for getting the point, for sure. I think they’ve got great support from the spectators. And I want to thank everybody, the fans, for how they welcomed us to Chad. They are very good supporters,” he added.
