2026 World Cup Qualifiers: Five things we learnt from Ghana's draw with Chad

The Black Stars' World Cup hopes suffered a minor setback following a disappointing 1-1 draw in N'Djamena against Chad. 

Ghana were two minutes away from securing a deserved victory before the host struck through Ecua Celestin to cancel Jordan Ayew's first half goal.

The draw keeps Ghana top of Group I but that lead could be cut to just a point should Comoros beat Mali later on Thursday.

GHANASoccernet learned five things from the frustrating 1-1 draw at the Stade Merechal Idriss Deby.

Otto Addo's late changes affected team's rhythm

Head coach Otto Addo had to wait till late in the game to effect his changes with the first coming in the 77th minute. Kamaldeen Sulemana and Christopher Bonsu Baah replaced Inaki Williams and Antoine Semenyo respectively. Both players were a threat to Chad, with Semenyo coming close in the first half. Ten minutes later, Addo brought on Ibrahim Osman for Mohammed Kudus, who was linking up well with Caleb Yirenkyi on the right. The changes subtly caused an imbalance in the team leading to a late equalizer as the new entrants tried to catch up with the pace of the game.

Ghana's attacking fluidity 

The Black Stars should have scored more and most importantly a second goal to put the match beyond their opponents. However, the missed opportunities came to bite them in the final moments of the match. Meanwhile, there were a lot of positives from the attacking play of the Black Stars, with Kudus, Ayew, Inaki and Semenyo switching positions and connecting intricately. The attacking quartet made life difficult for Chad's defence but were also profligate.

Adjetey and Opoku's partnership in defence 

For a very long time, the Black Stars have struggled for consistent players in defence and have had to stick with a duo of Mohammed Salisu and Alexander Djiku or even a trio which sometimes includes Jerome Opoku. While Djiku is yet to join the team and Salisu yet to kick the ball for Monaco this season, the coach tried the pairing of Opoku and Jonas Adjetey. The duo were decent and looked like could be the partnership for the future. This also brings in competition for regulars Salisu and Djiku.

Caleb Yirenkyi shines on competitive debut

The FC Nordsjaelland player exudes so much energy and confidence at the right-back position. His link up play with Kudus and Inaki on the right was impeccable and was solid defensively as well. He might have been unlucky with Chad's goal but it was a good performance from the defender.

Ayew leads by example 

The Leicester City star continues to drag the inexperienced Black Stars team through the qualifiers. Ayew opened the scoring with a simple finish and could have made one as well, after serving Semenyo with a brilliant through ball but the Bournemouth star fired miles away. He linked up well with the front line but ultimately it was his work rate to captured the attention of many. Ayew defended well, tracking back to win balls. In the final moments of the match, he was visibly frustrated from a poor play by Adjetey.

By Lukman Abdul Mumin