Ghana head coach Carlos Queiroz believes the Black Stars’ FIFA World Cup campaign ended not because Colombia were vastly superior, but because his own players repeatedly undermined themselves during their Round of 32 defeat.
The experienced Portuguese tactician admitted Colombia deserved their 1-0 victory but insisted Ghana’s biggest opponent on the day was their own inability to manage crucial moments in possession.
“Worse than facing the quality of Colombia, which is a reality, worse for us was when we played against ourselves,” Queiroz told reporters after the match.
The Black Stars conceded the only goal of the contest in the first half before chasing the game for long spells, but Queiroz argued that poor decision making in midfield ultimately proved more damaging than Colombia’s attacking threat.
“We can try to control the opponents with good defending, good organization and good discipline, but it is difficult to play when we play against ourselves,” he said.
The former Real Madrid and Portugal manager highlighted careless back passes, misplaced deliveries and poor choices under pressure as the recurring problems that handed Colombia opportunities.
“Back passes that isolated the forwards, lost passes in dangerous situations. If you look at almost all of Colombia’s chances, they came from mistakes in our midfield when we lost possession.”
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Queiroz acknowledged Ghana’s youthful squad still lacks the experience required to consistently make the right decisions in high-pressure knockout matches.
“The Ghana team is very young. We need more experience and maturity,” he explained.
“When you play at this level, you cannot rely only on the enthusiasm of youth. Enthusiasm is important, but when it is time to make crucial decisions, you need maturity.”
He pointed to situations where players held onto the ball for too long instead of making quick, simple passes.
“It is not the time to dribble or take three touches. When you do that in games like this, you lose the ball.”
Despite the disappointment of Ghana’s exit, Queiroz believes those lessons will help the current generation grow, provided they continue to gain exposure at the highest level.
“That maturity only comes with more matches and more training. We have to expose these players to high-level competitions so they can learn.”
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Ghana’s defeat ended their World Cup campaign at the Round of 32 stage, while Colombia progressed to the last 16 after capitalising on the Black Stars’ costly errors.
