A costly goalkeeper error and a clinical second-half finish condemned the Black Stars to defeat in Puebla, but the match served its purpose as Ofei assessed his options ahead of June 1 squad announcement.
Ghana suffered a 2-0 defeat to Mexico in a pre-World Cup friendly in Puebla on Friday evening, falling to goals in either half.
Assistant coach Desmond Ofei, who took charge of the game in the absence of Carlos Queiroz, used the occasion to cast a wide eye over his fringe players and give competitive minutes to those hoping to earn a place in the World Cup squad.
The result, while disappointing, was secondary to the purpose of the evening with the squad announcement due on June 1, every player who took to the field in the Estadio Cuauhtemoc had a chance to make their case.
Ghana had barely settled into the game when disaster struck inside the opening two minutes. Goalkeeper Benjamin Asare misplaced a pass gifting possession directly to the lurking Brian Gutierrez.
The Chicago Fire midfielder needed no second invitation, taking the ball in his stride before curling a composed finish into the net to give the hosts a lead.
To their credit, the Black Stars did not allow the early setback to derail them entirely. Ghana gradually worked their way into the match, growing in composure and intent as the minutes passed.
The most notable chance of the game for Ghana fell to Jesurun Rak-Sakyi, whose driven effort crashed against the crossbar.
Mexico, however, remained comfortable throughout the game and any hope of a second-half revival was firmly extinguished nine minutes after the restart.
Guillermo Martinez found space inside the penalty area and made no mistake placing his shot perfectly beyond Asare to double the advantage.
Ofei had set the Black Stars up in a 4-4-2 formation, with Benjamin Asare in goal behind a back four of Jan Kwasi Gyamerah, Nathaniel Adjei, Oscar Oppong and Terry Yegbe. Emmanuel Agyei, captain Majeed Ashimeru, Ibrahim Osman and Jesurun Rak-Sakyi formed the midfield, with Daniel Agyei and Felix Afena-Gyan leading the line.
After the goal, Ofei rang the changes simultaneously, withdrawing Rak-Sakyi, Daniel Agyei and Felix Afena-Gyan and introducing Prince Amoako, Jerry Afriyie and Razak Simpson.
Further changes followed as Majeed Ashimeru, Ibrahim Osman, Emmanuel Agyei and Benjamin Asare made way for Abdul Aziz Issah, Joseph Opoku, Salim Adams and Solomon Agbasi.
The substitutions gave Ghana renewed impetus in the closing stages and the team’s play improved noticeably as fresher legs took the field, but Mexico held on without ever being seriously troubled.
GFA president Kurt Okraku confirmed after the match that Ghana will release the final World Cup squad on June 1. He also believes the purpose of the Mexico match was fulfilled.
“Objective accomplished. This event has provided significant stage exposure for the majority of our U-23 players, who will soon assemble for the Olympic qualifiers, as well as other players who had limited playing time,” he said.
The attention now shifts immediately to Cardiff, where Ghana face Wales in their final pre-tournament friendly on June 2. The World Cup begins June 17 in Toronto against Panama.
