The Senior male national football team, the Black Stars of Ghana, opened their 2022 Kirin Cup campaign on a bad footing as they succumbed to a heavy 4-1 defeat in the hands of the host nation at the Noevir stadium, Kobe on Friday, June 10, 2022.

The defeat in Kobe earlier today means the Black Stars have failed to reach the final of the four-nation tournament.

Coach Otto Addo’s side went into the game with a depleted side with just 18 players at his disposal for the opening game, giving the home side an advantage.

Japan opened the scoring in the 29th minute through Miki Yamane before Jordan Ayew drew the Stars level on the 44th minute.

However, the Samurai Blues of Japan restored their lead just before the half-time break with Kaoru Mitoma getting his name on the scoresheet in the 45^th minute.

After the recess, Japan continued its dominance over the west African side with Takefusa Kubo and substitute, Daizen Maeda, adding two goals in the second half to seal an emphatic 4-1 victory over the visitors.

Despite the defeat, it was good news for Jordan as his goal was his first for the Black Stars since he last scored against Sao Tome in March 2021.

Meanwhile, Coach Otto Addo named Clermont Foot defender Alidu Seidu in the starting lineup for the Kirin Cup opening match against the Samurai Blue of Japan.

Also in the lineup, was Hearts of Oak defender, Dennis Korsah, who made his first appearance for the Black Stars. The defender was named in the squad for the World Cup playoff against Nigeria but did not get the chance to feature in the games.

Korsah’s teammate, Daniel Afriyie Barnieh, also made his debut for the Stars as he came on as a substitute in the second half.

Edmund Addo partnered Daniel Amartey in central defense while Mubarak Wakaso started for the first time since November 11, 2021, when Ghana defeated South Africa 1-0 in the World Cup qualifiers in Cape Coast.

VfB Bochum winger, Christopher Antwi Agyei, operated on the wings while Captain Andre Ayew, Mohammed Kudus, and Crystal Palace’s Jordan Ayew were in the starting lineup for Ghana.

Otto Addo loses his first game as head coach

The defeat means Otto Addo has now lost his first game as head coach of Ghana after five games played. He led the Black Stars to a 0-0 and 1-1 draws against Nigeria in the World Cup playoff matches in March this year.

Earlier this month, he again, led the Black Stars in the TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations, Cote d’Ivoire 2023 qualifiers against Madagascar and the Central African Republic.

Ghana beat Madagascar 3-0 in the Cape Coast sports stadium on Wednesday, June 1, 2022 before playing a disappointing 1-1 draw against the Central African Republic in Luanda on June 5, 2022.

After a disappointing performance in the 2021 AFCON in Cameroon, the Black Stars have managed to regain the love of their supporters after booking the ticket for the upcoming FIFA World Cup in Qatar.

Whilst many supporters believe the team is still undergoing a rebuilding exercise, the performance today was not encouraging. The team was however, without most of the regular first team players who could not make the squad due to various reasons.

The Black Stars will now face Chile, who lost 2-0 to Tunisia earlier on Friday, in their next game of the competition. The match against Chile on Tuesday, June 14, 2022 will be a good test as Ghana will play a South American opponent in the upcoming World Cup.

The four-nation tournament is part of preparations towards the FIFA World Cup. The Black Stars are drawn in Group H alongside familiar foes- Portugal, South Korea and Uruguay.