A youthful Ghana side lost 2-0 to Mexico in Puebla on Friday night as fringe players auditioned for places before the Black Stars name their 2026 FIFA World Cup squad.
Mexico struck inside two minutes when Brian Gutiérrez punished a mistake from Ghana goalkeeper Benjamin Asare to open the scoring. The hosts dictated much of the first half and led 1-0 at the break.
Substitute Guillermo Martínez doubled the advantage in the 54th minute, finishing off a swift counterattack. A wave of second half changes lifted Ghana’s tempo, but the visitors never found a way back.
Assistant coach Desmond Ofei took charge on an interim basis, with head coach Carlos Queiroz and assistant Roger De Sá absent for personal reasons, the Ghana Football Association (GFA) said. The makeshift squad leaned heavily on home based and fringe players chasing a place in Queiroz’s plans.
Asare started in goal behind a back four of Jan Kwasi Gyamerah, Nathaniel Adjei, Oscar Oppong and Terry Yegbe. Captain Majeed Ashimeru anchored a midfield of Emmanuel Agyei, Ibrahim Osman and Jesurun Rak-Sakyi, while Daniel Agyei and Felix Afena-Gyan led the line in a 4-4-2.
Ofei reshaped the side after the hour, introducing Prince Amoako, Jerry Afriyie and Razak Simpson, then later sending on Abdul Aziz Issah, Joseph Opoku, Salim Adams and Solomon Agbasi. The changes sharpened Ghana late without troubling the scoreboard.
The result stretched Ghana’s winless run to five matches since qualifying for the World Cup with a 1-0 victory over Comoros last October. Queiroz is due to name his final squad on June 1, a day before the Black Stars meet Wales in Cardiff. Ghana then head to the tournament hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico.
