Mali head coach, Tom Saintfiet, has revealed that he was surprised by the defensive tactics Ghana deployed when the pair clashed at the Accra Sports Stadium.
The two countries went head-to-head in a bid to secure a slot at next year’s 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America.
Ghana’s Otto Addo deployed a 3-4-3 formation with Caleb Yirenkyi and Gideon Mensah deployed as full-backs for the duel against Mali.
A tactic that Tom Saintfiet was taken aback by, considering the attacking potential in the Black Stars.
“We expected Ghana to be more offensive with the likes of Semenyo, Kudus, Inaki, and the attacking wingbacks; you could punish us with more offensive play at home with the fans behind them.
“I thought Ghana would start with a more aggressive attacking football in the first fifteen minutes after their not-so-good performance against Chad, but they were conservative in their approach.”
Djiku’s second-half header proved the decisive goal between the two powerhouses of African football at a packed forty-five thousand stadium capacity in Accra.
READ MORE: Match Highlights: Ghana 1-0 Mali
The Black Stars top the pack with 19 points, three points off Madagascar, seven points off Mali, with the October qualifiers looming.
Mali’s hopes of securing qualifications have been dented following their harrowing loss to the Black Stars of Ghana.
With two games to go, they have Chad and Madagascar to play after picking up 12 points from 8 games.
