Black Stars clobbered by Austria in friendly

Ghana’s Black Stars suffered a 1-5 loss against Austria at the Ernst Happel Stadium in the first of their two international friendlies during the March FIFA window.

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— sanandreaskingsz (@TGZ0005) March 27, 2026

The Black Stars were guests of the European side in a game meant to prepare both nations for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in Canada, USA and Mexico.

Ghana were dealt a blow when Jonas Adjetey handled the ball in his own area following a challenge from Kevin Danso in the 10th minute. Borussia Dortmund midfielder Marcel Sabitzer smashed the spot kick past keeper Lawrence Ati Zigi in the 12th minute mark.

One of Ghana’s best moments came when Prince Kwabena Adu charged at Austria’s defence but Stefan Posch cleared his line beautifully in the 30th minute. The resultant corner kick brought Manchester City forward Antoine Semenyo closer to finding the equalizer, however his effort went wide over the bar.

Adu appealed for a penalty after he was brought down in Austria’s area by Marco Friedl but referee Mohammed Khaled Hoaish allowed the game to continue in the 34th minute. Moments later, Ati Zigi rose high to make a crucial save for Ghana following a thundering header from Michael Gregoritsch.

Both sides could not create clear cut scoring chances with the hosts marching into the dressing room with a slim 1-0 lead.

Austria looked calm in the second half while handling the Black Stars with great finesse. Sabitzer received a tailor measured pass from the centre circle before racing past Caleb Yirenkyi to set up Gregoritsch to tap from close range.

Posch found himself in a good position to head in Austria’s third goal from Gregoritsch’s well taken corner kick to completely destabilize Ghana’s setup.

Black Stars find a consolation goal

Black Stars coach Otto Addo rang six changes in the hour mark in a bid to stabilize the game but they struggled to break Austria’s backline. The visitors managed to pull one back through the solo effort of captain Jordan Ayew in the 77th minute for a glimmer of hope but the celebration will be short lived.

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— sanandreaskingsz (@TGZ0005) March 27, 2026

Two minutes later Carney Chukwuemeka restored Austria’s lead to 4-1 after combining with Sabitzer.

Austria iced the cake late in the dying embers of the game after capitalizing on Ghana’s poor defensive work for Nicolas Seiwald to score the fifth of the evening.

The Black Stars will next travel to Stuttgart to face Germany on Monday, March 31.