Queiroz praises Ibrahim Sulemana and Augustine Boakye after Gambia defeat

Ghana coach Carlos Queiroz has singled out Ibrahim Sulemana and Augustine Boakye for praise after the two substitutes helped lift the Black Stars during Tuesdays 4-2 defeat to The Gambia.Both players were introduced in the second half as Queiroz looked for a response after Ghana surrendered their two-goal lead at the Accra Sports Stadium.I think Ibrahim came very well into the game; he had a good performance in the second half. He brought the team forward. I think Augustine brought the team forward as well, Queiroz said.The coach also praised Boakye, who earned his first Ghana call-up under Queiroz for the 2026 World Cup and has since continued to feature for the national team.I called him for the first time to the national team for the World Cup. Everybody was surprised by that. Now you saw during the game, step by step, that he is a player who deserves to be here, Queiroz added.Queiroz explained that managing the squad had been necessary because several players were short of match minutes, while Ghana began the game with only two fit centre-backs.He pointed to Kojo Oppong Peprah, Kwasi Sibo and Ibrahim Sulemana among those whose fitness and playing time had to be carefully managed.We have the best players available to play this game. When some of our players are not on fresh legs, we have to make decisions to have solutions, Queiroz said.The defeat leaves Ghana without a point from their opening two 2027 AFCON qualifiers, with the Black Stars now needing to regroup ahead of their next matches.