Black Stars head coach Otto Addo has called on his players to treat their heavy 5-1 defeat to Austria as a learning opportunity, while strongly defending goalkeeper AtiZigi, who conceded five goals in the friendly match on Friday night.
Speaking after the game in Vienna, Addo refused to single out individuals for blame and instead emphasised collective responsibility and improvement.
“That was a little bit unlucky. Sure, we want to use these games also to give chances and also to have a competition about positions,” he said.
“As I said, we have a lot of things to analyse. Zigi, I think the five goals were not his fault — especially the first two; there’s nothing he can do.”
The coach acknowledged that Austria exploited defensive lapses effectively but maintained that the entire squad must take lessons from the performance rather than point fingers.
“At the end, it was an unlucky evening for him as a goalkeeper. He didn’t deserve to get five goals, but this is football, also,” Addo added.
“As I said, we have to learn, and this is the most important. It’s not about the goalkeeper or this player or that player — we all as a team have to learn and find better solutions for these problems we had this evening.”
The result marks Ghana’s heaviest defeat in 19 years and has raised serious questions about the team’s defensive organisation and overall readiness as they prepare for the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
Despite the disappointing scoreline, Addo remains focused on using the experience to strengthen the squad. The Black Stars will face a much tougher test when they take on Germany in another international friendly on Monday, March 30, 2026.
Source: Post-match press conference with Otto Addo in Vienna
