The gallant men of the BlackStars defied the odds to beat Madagascar at the Mimoun Al Arsi Stadium in Al Hoceima.

The game was a top-of-the-table clash between the two African sides eyeing a cushioning in the World Cup qualifying title push.

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A brace from Arsenal midfielder, Thomas Partey and a goal from Mohammed Kudus was enough to put the game to bed between both sides.

The win earns the Black Stars a five-point cushioning on top of the table.  

These are my observations from the BlackStars vs Chad game.

OTTO ADDO AND HIS WINGMEN

Otto Addo’s second coming to Ghana’s BlackStars was greeted with mixed feelings and expectations chalking two wins from two in the 2026 World Cup qualifying series against Chad and Madagascar, it has set a wind of revival in the side. You’ll agree that these wins didn’t fall from the sky like manna to the Israelites in the desert. The technical infusions of Winfried Schafer as Technical Advisor, Desmond Ofei as Assistant Coach, Kris Perquy as Psychologist, and Gregory De Grauwe as Video Analyst seem to have proved crucial to the team in the way it has played for the two games. Ghanaians are beaming with lots of confidence, and it is a positive signal that they are rallying behind the team.

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TACTICAL VARIATIONS

Otto made two changes to the side that beat Chad by five goals to nil. This time he infused Francis Abu alongside Thomas Partey in midfield. This gave the latter a lot of creative freedom to roam the pitch, it was least surprising he got to viable positions where he scored two goals for the team. His mobility in midfield also gave the team that extra midfield sauce to dominate their opponents. That proved a masterstroke. Another tweak to how the team played was the introduction of Jerome Opoku as one of three center-backs. This limited the attacking Malagasy side, who beat Comoros by four goals the past Friday to feeble shots which did little to taunt the post of Benjamin Asare (Hearts of Oak).  

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JORDAN AYEW

The weight of carrying a whole country behind your back to war is not for the faint-hearted. The brave ones do that. Very few people have been able to execute that seamlessly perfectly and one such person who has done so in the last few days is Jordan Ayew. He led by example, and his leadership skills were at the forefront as he was involved in 5goals and contributions in the Black Star’s double victory.  They had to make sure.

THOMAS PARTEY

A quality talent is something you cannot buy during the international window. If your country is not blessed like Argentina, France, or Germany with quality talent then the little you have it’s best you preserve and protect it. If there is a player whose quality, you can’t underestimate his influence it’s Thomas Partey. The midfielder returned to the team after over a year due to injuries and it was evident what his usefulness was to the team.  His brace and Kudus goal proved mastery for the team as they beat Madagascar in a tightly knitted game.

A TEAM BLESSED WITH GOALS

In two games, the Black Stars poked in 8 unanswered goals against Chad and Madagascar in duels that had a lot of expectations riding on them. I was just happy about the goals it was just the way the whole setup was interested in attacking their opponents from every cylinder. The team scored goals and even some from set pieces, which is something that was missing in their previous game.

Hopefully, this joy doesn’t fade anytime soon as they take on Chad and Mali in the next World Cup qualifying games.