Ghana head coach Carlos Queiroz believes the Black Stars paid a heavy price for critical mistakes after suffering a narrow 1-0 defeat to Colombia, a result that brought their FIFA World Cup journey to an end.
The experienced tactician expressed disappointment with the outcome, insisting his side had opportunities to produce a better performance but were ultimately punished for lapses at key moments in the match.
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Ghana’s task was made even more difficult early on when defender Marvin Senaya was forced off with an injury, disrupting the team’s defensive
structure and game plan.
Within a minute of his substitution, Jhon Arias struck what proved to be the winning goal, sending Colombia into the last 16 while Ghana’s journey came to an end.
Reflecting on the defeat, Queiroz pointed to his team’s poor execution in possession and the disruption caused by Senaya’s early exit.
“The quality of our passes was not what we expected. We made a lot of mistakes and conceded counter attacks. They scored in one moment that the team was not organised,” said Queiroz during his post-match interview.
“The moment Senaya came off, the team did not have the same discipline and organisation.”
The Portuguese coach, who was appointed as Ghana coach two months before the tournament began, acknowledged that the injury altered the team’s structure at a crucial stage of the contest.
With the team now out of the tournament, Queiroz is unclear whether he will continue as the coach of the Black Stars or not with his contract reportedly having included a two-year extension.
“What’s next for me is to have a glass of water and relax, refresh for the next morning and start to make other decisions,” he said.