Jordan Ayew was the hero as a defensively woeful Ghana team held on to pick up three points against the Central African Republic in their fourth game of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.

Jordan Ayew grabbed his second Black Stars hat-trick to help Ghana hold on to victory against C.A.R. at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium.

Aside from Jordan Ayew and a few players who stood out, the Black Stars were generally unimpressive, with C.A.R. dominating the majority of the game and scoring goals that were made possible by schoolboy errors from Ghana.

Below is how GhanaWeb rated the players:

Lawrence Ati-Zigi – 5

Not directly at fault for any of the three goals, but the feeling is that a goalkeeper of the Black Stars should be able to save some of those balls.

He was not as impressive as he was against Mali but he cannot be blamed for any of the three goals.

Alidu Seidu – 5

Alidu Seidu was the only member of the back five who came out of the game with some credibility. Not that he was entirely convincing, but he was better than the rest of the defensive quartet.

In attack, he did not offer much, and in defence, he had a few good clearances.

Gideon Mensah – 4

Gideon Mensah’s terrible performances for the Black Stars continued in the game, and coach Otto Addo will be having headaches over the long-term solution to the left-back problem.

However, he sent a delicious cross for Jordan Ayew’s second goal, which is indicative of what he can offer in attack.

Mohammed Salisu – 4

Salisu had a game to forget and would not like to watch his performance against the Central African Republic.

Alexandre Djiku – 4

Djiku misread the pass from Kondogbia that resulted in C.A.R.’s first goal and had a stinker of a game.

He is usually solid at the back for Ghana, but against C.A.R., his performance was atrocious. Salis Samed - 3

Another position that coach Otto Addo will be hoping to find a competent player for is the defensive midfield role because Salis’ performance has plateaued since the 2022 World Cup, and there seems to be no end in sight.

For a player who was supposed to shield the back, Salis was most often caught out of possession and offered no protection to the back four.

Thomas Partey – 6

Not as dominant as he was against Mali, but the Arsenal midfielder contributed offensively with some decent passes and set up Ghana’s third goal.

Mohammed Kudus – 5

Mohammed Kudus did not live up to expectations in both games, but his second-half performance against C.A.R. will give Ghanaians some hope.

Kudus’ ability to drive the ball from deep is not in doubt, but maybe he should stop trying to do it all by himself.

Fatawu Issahaku – 6

Had some bright moments on the left flank for Ghana and sent in some good crosses, but there is still much he could have done to help the game.

Kamaldeen Sulemana – 2

There is no doubt that there is huge talent in him waiting to explode, but currently, it is not working for him both at the club and national team levels, and he needs to sort things out quickly before he gets dumped from the team.

Jordan Ayew – 9

A penalty, a header, and a close tap-in. What a way to score a hat-trick. Jordan Ayew produced an incredible performance with three goals in his 100th game for Ghana.

SUBS

Antoine Semenyo – 5

The Bournemouth forward did his part for the Black Stars and was a headache for the C.A.R. defence with his pressing and industriousness.

Abdul Mumin – 5

Mumin came on in the 75th minute and brought some stability to the defence with his calmness and ability to control the ball under pressure.

Tariq Lamptey – 5

Had a great chance to put the game to bed when it was 4-3 but was undone by the poor pitch.

Elish Owusu – 5

Helped solidify the midfield and performed averagely with the time he had on the field.

Brandon Thomas-Asante – Not rated.