Chris Hughton acknowledges intensity gap in Black Stars defeat to Mexico

Ghana's head coach, Chris Hughton, acknowledged his team's inability to match the intensity of the Mexican side after their 2-0 defeat in an international friendly at the Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, USA.

Hirvin Lozano scored in the 57th minute, and substitute Uriel Antuna added another goal in the 72nd minute, securing a comfortable victory for Mexico.

Hughton commented on the match, saying;

"In the first half, I felt we coped well, despite not creating as many chances as we should have. We had reasonable control of the game."

However, he noted that there was room for improvement in the final third.

"So in the first half period, I came in after the half time not too unhappy, I felt perhaps we could have produced a little more in the final third.

The coach continued, "In the second half, the Mexican team raised the tempo and pressed well with their sharp players. We struggled to cope with their intensity."

The defeat against Mexico marked Hughton's first loss after two wins and two draws in his previous four games as the head coach.

Next, the Black Stars are set to face the US Men's Soccer team at GEODIS Park in Nashville, Tennessee, on Tuesday, October 17, 2023.