Ghana defeated Mali 2-1 on Thursday night at the Stade du 26 Mars in Bamako, their third game in the FIFA 2026 World Cup qualifiers, after falling behind just a few minutes into the first half.
Otto Addo’s men looked nervous at the start of the game with goalkeeper Atizi making a crucial save in the 5th minute to prevent Mali from taking an early lead.
After the half-hour mark, Ghana had grown into the game, controlling it with their slow build-up play.
But just as it seemed the first half was ending goalless, Mousa Doumbia scored the opener.
After the recess, the Black Stars looked more settled and had started mounting an early pressure to get the equalizer.
Emmanuel Nuamah however on the 57th minute scored to bring Ghana level. It all started when Abdul Salis Samed whisked into the Malian box, a very dangerous ball, which the Marseille winger beautifully headed into the top corner of the post.
Ghana needed the win badly to bolster their chances of making it to the 2026 edition of the World Cup as Otto Addo introduced Jordan Ayew in the 78th minute.
There was no surprise about the Crystal Palace playmaker, who stole the show for Ghana with a stoppage-time winner.
