We conceded two poor defensive goals against Mexico - Coach Chris Hughton

Ghana's head coach, Chris Hughton, attributed his team's loss to a lapse in defence during the latter part of the game.

The Black Stars of Ghana were defeated 2-0 by Mexico in their first international friendly at the Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, USA.

The Ghanaian team came into the game with determination, launching early attacks, but they couldn't find the net in the first half.

The second half saw PSV Eindhoven star Hirving Lozano break the deadlock by scoring the game's first goal in the 57th minute. Mexico extended their lead in the 72nd minute when Atuna capitalized on a counter-attack.

Reflecting on his team's performance, Chris Hughton, who experienced his first defeat as head coach of Ghana, noted that the Black Stars struggled to cope with the intensity of the game.

"We struggled to cope with the intensity of the game in that second half period. The balance is if you don’t cope well enough in that period then at least you’ve got to be secured enough and not give away goals," he said.

He added, "Both of the goals we conceded from our point of view were two poor defensive goals. It becomes an up-heel battle and I think we rallied around a little bit, we saw a good effort from the players, they tried to get back in the game but I think from that stage it was going to be difficult."

JNA/AW