Carlos Queiroz says two “very easily” conceded goals before half-time damaged Ghana’s morale and changed the game as the Black Stars suffered a 4-2 defeat to The Gambia in their 2027 Africa Cup of Nations Group C qualifier at the Accra Sports Stadium on Tuesday.

Ghana had taken a 2-0 lead through Ernest Nuamah’s penalty and Felix Afena-Gyan’s low drive.

The Gambia pulled one back through Mohammed Badamosi from the penalty spot before Ebrima Colley equalised before half-time.

Queiroz said the two goals changed the momentum of the game.

“This was one of those days when everything went wrong for our team. Especially in the first half after we were leading 2-0. We conceded two goals very easily, and those two goals turned the story of the game around,” he said.

“At the moment we should have gone for an easy result in the second half, those two goals in the first half killed the morale and made my players nervous. That was one of the reasons we were not able to perform well in the second half.”

Ghana throw away 2-0 lead

Ghana started strongly and took the lead in the 27th minute when Nuamah converted a penalty after Jerome Opoku was fouled in the box.

Six minutes later, Afena-Gyan doubled the lead with a low drive into the bottom corner.

The Gambia responded through Badamosi in the 37th minute before Colley scored the equaliser.

The visitors then took control after the break.

Badamosi scored again in the 71st minute to put The Gambia ahead before Colley completed his brace in the 88th minute to seal the 4-2 victory.

Queiroz defends his team selection

Queiroz also responded to questions about his midfield choices and his decision not to start some of the newer players.

He said he has never been afraid to give young players opportunities.

“Never in my life am I afraid to start a new player. Giving opportunities to players at 17, 18 years old has always been my benchmark,” he said.

He praised Ibrahim Sulemana and Augustine Boakye for their performances after coming on as substitutes.

“I think Ibrahim came very well into the game, he had a good performance in the second half. He brought the team forward. I think Augustine brought the team forward as well,” he said.

Queiroz also praised Boakye, who received his first call-up under him for the World Cup.

“I called him for the first time to the national team for the World Cup. Everybody was surprised by that. Now you saw during the game, step by step, that he is a player who deserves to be here.”

The coach said he had to manage the squad because some players were short of match minutes, including Kojo Oppong Peprah, Kwasi Sibo and Ibrahim Sulemana.

He also noted that Ghana started the match with only two fit centre-backs.

“We have the best players available to play this game. When some of our players are not on fresh legs, we have to make decisions to have solutions,” Queiroz said.

Mensah accepts responsibility

Ghana captain Gideon Mensah also accepted responsibility for the defeat.

The left-back was involved in two of The Gambia’s goals, conceding a penalty with a challenge and later making a poor back pass that led to Colley’s third goal.

“We have to accept that luck wasn't on our side and we probably didn't perform as we were supposed to perform. As a captain today, I feel like I will also take responsibility for everything that happened today,” Mensah said.

“We are the players and we're supposed to accept whatever comes from the people that we play for,” he added.

Mensah also said Ghana had to deal with several newcomers in the team and that it would take time for them to understand the responsibility of playing for the Black Stars.

“We can't hide from the fact that we had so many newcomers in the team,” he said.

“When we talk about newcomers, it has to do with mentality; it has to do with the understanding that they didn't know about playing for Ghana, wearing the Ghana jersey.”

He added: “This is not something that we can switch from overnight. It takes time for new players to learn that playing for Ghana comes with a whole lot.”

Ghana bottom of Group C

The defeat leaves Ghana bottom of Group C with no points from their opening two matches.

The Black Stars had earlier lost 2-0 to Côte d’Ivoire in Bouaké.

The Gambia, meanwhile, have six points from two matches after securing victories in their opening fixtures.