The Black Stars of Ghana secured consecutive victories in their matchday three and four games of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers in June.
Following a 2-1 win over Mali, the four-time African champions edged out the Central African Republic (CAR) with a thrilling 4-3 victory at the Baba Yara Stadium on Monday night.
Coach Otto Addo made three changes from the lineup against Mali, bringing in Jordan Ayew, Kamaldeen Suleman, and Fatawu Issahaku. Ghana started strongly, taking the lead in the 5th minute when Jordan Ayew converted a penalty after Abdul Fatawu Isaahaku was fouled in the box.
Despite Mohammed Kudus’ shot being saved shortly after, CAR equalized in the 11th minute through Louis Mofouta. Ghana nearly conceded again after a dangerous back pass by Alexander Djiku, but goalkeeper Lawrence Ati Zigi saved the situation.
CAR then began to dominate and came close to scoring again in the 22nd minute, but Mofouta missed the target.
Despite Ghana’s lack of aggression, they regained momentum, with Kamaldeen Sulemana and Abdul Salis Samed both coming close to scoring.
Just before halftime, Mofouta scored again to put CAR ahead 2-1, stunning the Ghanaian fans.
After the break, Ghana started energetically and applied pressure, with Kamaldeen Sulemana almost equalizing.
The Black Stars controlled the game but struggled to create clear chances. However, in the 60th minute, Jordan Ayew headed in Gideon Mensah’s cross to level the score at 2-2.
Two minutes later, Ghana took the lead after Abdul Fatawu Isaahaku’s shot was deflected into the net. Antoine Semenyo was brought on in the 63rd minute, and Ghana extended their lead to 4-2 through another goal from Jordan Ayew in the 68th minute.
Tariq Lamptey, Elisha Owusu, and Abdul Mumin were then introduced to replace Alidu Seidu, Abdul Fatawu Issahaku, and Jordan Ayew.
CAR nearly pulled one back, but Ghana’s defense held firm. In the final minutes, Brandon Thomas Asante made his debut, replacing Mohammed Kudus.
During added time, Mofouta completed his hat trick with a stunning free-kick to make it 4-3. CAR almost equalized, but Ati Zigi made a crucial save. In a counter-attack, Lamptey failed to score, and the game ended 4-3.
With this result, Ghana tops Group I with nine points.
The Black Stars will resume their qualifying campaign in October 2025 with an away game against the Central African Republic (CAR) on matchday five.