Black Stars lost psychological battle at half time – The Gambia coach

The Gambia coach, Johnny McKinstry, says he knew his side had won the psychological battle after witnessing Ghana players exchange strong words among themselves in the tunnel at half-time after the Black Stars surrendered a two-goal lead in their shock 4-2 defeat to the Scorpions at the Accra Sports Stadium, yesterday.

McKinstry said the heated atmosphere among the Ghana players after the first half confirmed to his technical team that the psychological balance of the match had shifted in favour of The Gambia.

According to him, the Scorpions’ bench heard Ghana players use strong words among themselves as they headed into the dressing room after The Gambia had recovered from 2-0 down to level the score at 2-2.

Addressing the media, the Gambian coach said his team had deliberately remained calm after falling two goals behind because it believed Ghana would struggle to maintain control if the Scorpions could find a way back into the game.

“We could see what was happening. We could hear the strong words between the Ghana players in the tunnel at half-time,” McKinstry said, explaining that the reaction reinforced his belief that the Black Stars were under growing pressure.

He said The Gambia therefore entered the second half with greater psychological confidence, while Ghana faced the difficult task of recovering from the collapse of a lead that had appeared comfortable.

After falling 2-0 behind, they pulled one goal back through a counter-attacking penalty before levelling from a rehearsed long-throw set-piece.

McKinstry said the technical bench resisted the temptation to change its formation after Ghana took the early lead.

Instead, the Gambian players were instructed to remain patient and continue with the original plan. The decision eventually paid off.

The coach claimed that once the score reached 2-2, his technical team anticipated that Ghana would commit more players forward in search of a winning goal, leaving spaces that The Gambia could exploit.

That prediction proved crucial as the Scorpions took advantage of the changing dynamics of the match to score twice in the second half and complete one of Ghana’s most painful home defeats in recent qualifying campaigns.

McKinstry also questioned the decisions that produced Ghana’s penalty and free-kick goals, arguing that apart from those situations, the Black Stars had created relatively few clear chances.

He said the 4-2 result was therefore deserved based on the opportunities created by his side.

The victory also provided a major psychological boost to a Gambian team undergoing a rebuilding exercise.

McKinstry said about 30 players had made their international debuts during the rebuilding process over the past 18 months, with newer players such as Suleiman Kamara and Ablie Mallow now contributing alongside established stars such as Yankuba Minteh and Musa Barrow.

He said the Scorpions had collected six points in the current qualification window and were now more than halfway towards their target of 11 points, which he described as a figure that generally provides a strong qualification position.

McKinstry says Ghana was at a stage of regeneration, saying the pressure surrounding a major football nation could make rebuilding difficult because supporters demand immediate results.

The Scorpions will now turn their attention to their next assignment against Côte d’Ivoire, with the two countries set to meet home and away.

By Enoch Ntiamoah Siaw

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