The Black Stars had a rough first half in a challenging international friendly match against the United States (USA) at GEODIS Park in Nashville, Tennessee, and were defeated 4-0.
Chris Hughton, the coach of Ghana, made a few adjustments to the starting lineup for the match against Mexico, substituting Abdul Manaf Nurudeen for Lawrence Ati Zigi in goal and giving Jerome Opoku his professional debut.
With a strong start, the Americans took the lead after only ten minutes. Giovanni Reyna scored after a quick move on the right flank led to a sloppy Opoku clearance of a cross, which gave the Dortmund midfielder the opportunity.
Eight minutes later, AC Milan winger Christian Pulisic skillfully converted a penalty, giving the United States a two-goal advantage. Nurudeen was sent the wrong way.
Folarin Balogun comfortably finished in the box after Timothy Weah had forced Opoku into making a mistake and set him up.
Before the end of the first half, Reyna extended the United States’ lead to 4-0, converting an indirect free-kick in the box.
After half-time, Hughton made a couple of changes, bringing in Kingsley Schlinder for Gideon Mensah and Salis Abdul Samed for Thomas Partey to strengthen the Black Stars.
Ghana’s only noteworthy attempt came from Mohammed Kudus, who forced an excellent save from Matt Turner.
The Black Stars will kick off their 2026 World Cup qualifiers next month with an opening game against Madagascar.
