The Black Stars of Ghana wrapped up the June 2024 international break with a hard-fought 4-3 victory over the Central African Republic at Baba Yara Stadium on Monday, June 10, 2024.

The victory has propelled Ghana to the top of Group I, with the Black Stars having played one more game than Comoros and Madagascar, who each have six points.

The game marked the second of Otto Addo's second stint, and in these two matches, Ghana scored six goals and conceded four.

GhanaWeb highlights five lessons from the 4-3 victory over C.A.R:

Ghana should be ashamed of the pitch at Baba Yara Stadium

In his post-match conference, Black Stars coach Otto Addo expressed gratitude, attributing the minor rain that fell in the second half of the game as a factor that allowed the Black Stars to control the match and play as he intended.

In the dying minutes of the game, Tariq Lamptey was through on goal and attempted a brilliant lob over the Central African goalkeeper, who was off his line. Unfortunately, the bumpy pitch interfered, and he fluffed the opportunity.

As it stands, Ghana does not have a FIFA-standard stadium and must rely on FA officials using their contacts to pull strings at CAF to allow the country to host matches.

How long will this continue?

Otto Addo must find a way to stop the leaky defence

The first two goals by C.A.R were due to fundamental errors from the entire defensive setup. The entire back five committed comical errors that are difficult to comprehend.

In the two games played in the June window, the Black Stars conceded four goals while scoring six. This rate cannot continue, and Otto Addo's major task will be to resolve it.

Jordan Ayew has walked into legendary status

Since making his Ghana debut in 2010, Jordan Ayew has been a constant feature in the Black Stars, though his name has always divided opinions.

However, on Monday, June 10, 2024, Jordan Ayew secured his place in Ghana's history books by scoring a hat-trick to help Ghana defeat the Central African Republic.

His heroic performance against C.A.R came just four days after he scored the winner for Ghana against Mali.

Geoffrey Kondogbia showed class

If the Central African Republic was to get something out of the game, it required moments of magic from Geoffrey Kondogbia, and he delivered a few.

Kondogbia dominated play and became the fulcrum of C.A.R's play. His pass for their first goal was magnificent, exploiting the lack of pace in the Ghanaian team.

Gideon Mensah and Salis are becoming liabilities

In the game against Mali, Salis delivered a great cross that led to Ghana's equalizer via a header from Ernest Nuamah. Against C.A.R, Gideon Mensah also delivered a superb cross that Jordan Ayew headed home.

These two incidents highlight the positives they bring to the side, but there are multiple reports of the two players making errors, both forced and unforced, that either led directly to goals or disrupted the flow of the game for Ghana.

If Baba Rahman continues his self-imposed exile from the team, then Otto Addo must carefully consider the left-back position. For Salis, the arrival of Ibrahim Sulemana may ease Otto Addo's burden in finding a replacement.