2026 World Cup Qualifiers: Black Stars Edge Mali to Go Three Points Clear in Group I

Sometimes in football, it only takes one moment to settle everything, and that moment came courtesy of Alexander Djiku. His scrappy but decisive goal was enough to hand Ghana a 1-0 win over Mali at the Accra Sports Stadium on Monday. It wasn’t pretty, it wasn’t fluid, but it was three points in the bag.

Now, let’s talk about the performances, because there were some interesting stories out there on the pitch.

Starting at the back, Benjamin Asare had a fairly quiet evening. Mali barely tested him, but when they did sneak through, he was alert. Solid enough.

Caleb Yirenkyi deserves a mention. Early on, he linked nicely with Kudus down the right flank, showing promise. Defensively, he held his own, but in attack, the final ball was missing. Still, a decent showing.

Into central defense Mohammed Salisu stepped in for Jerome Opoku and immediately brought calmness and authority. He gave Asare a comfortable night.

And then, the man of the moment Alexander Djiku. He almost put Ghana in trouble with a costly slip, but recovered well, tightened up, and then, of course, grabbed the winner. Sometimes, that’s all it takes to go from villain to hero.

Not everyone had a good day, though. Gideon Mensah struggled again. His passing was sloppy, his deliveries into the box non-existent. Back-to-back tough games for him.

Jonas Adjetey wasn’t far off that either. He never quite imposed himself, looked a bit lost in spells.

Now to the midfield and here’s where it gets brighter. Thomas Parteywas up for it. Driving runs, composure, real intent. You could tell he wanted to make a mark.

The real gem, though, was debutant Kwasi Sibo. What a tidy performance. Calm on the ball, smart with his decisions, and crucially, the only player who consistently created chances. A very encouraging debut.

Mohammed Kudus also had his spark. He was lively, creative, and should’ve had an assist when he teed up Semenyo, only for the Bournemouth man to waste it. Still, Kudus kept Mali’s defense guessing.

Speaking of the forwards not a great day. Jordan Ayew looked out of rhythm, only showing glimpses of life around the hour mark.

And Antoine Semenyo strong, physical, but too wasteful in the final third. His missed chance summed up his night.

At the end of the day, Ghana weren’t at their best, but thanks to Djiku’s moment of fortune and a solid midfield performance, they walked away with a win. And in World Cup qualifiers, sometimes that’s all that matters.