Laryea Kingston Urges Black Stars To Stay Focused After Back To Back Wins In World Cup Qualifiers

Former Ghana U-17 coach Laryea Kingston has advised the Black Stars to stay focused and not over-celebrate following their consecutive victories that have reignited their 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign.

Ghana secured a crucial 2-1 win against Mali in Bamako, with Jordan Ayew scoring a late winner as a substitute.

They followed this up with a thrilling 4-3 victory over the Central African Republic (CAR) in Kumasi, where Ayew's hat-trick played a pivotal role.

These victories have earned Ghana six points from the June qualifiers, placing them second in Group I, level on nine points with leaders Comoros, and significantly boosting their chances of qualifying for the World Cup.

Kingston, however, is urging caution and a continued focus from coach Otto Addo and his players as they approach the remaining six qualifying matches.

"We should not be excited about the two wins but Otto Addo must plan for the rest of the games," Kingston told GTV Sports Plus.

"I think he has clearly shown what he wants to do but he should send the message to the players that this is how we must approach the game and we must deliver. These players cannot be taught how to play football but Otto Addo must stamp his authority on the team."

Ghana will resume its qualification campaign in March 2024 with matches against Chad (Home) and Madagascar (Away).

They will then face Chad (Home) and Mali (Home) in September before concluding the qualifiers in October with games against CAR (Away) and Comoros (Home).