Improved Black Stars display still ends in defeat to South Korea

Benjamin Asare saved a penalty as the Black Stars produced a stronger performance in their final match of the Asian tour, yet they still fell 1-0 to South Korea on Tuesday at the Seoul World Cup Stadium.

South Korea broke the deadlock when Tae-seok Lee was left unmarked at the far post and headed in from close range. Asare prevented further damage with a series of confident interventions.

The Hearts of Oak goalkeeper, who did not feature in the 2-0 defeat to Japan last Friday, denied Hwang Hee-chan from adding a second from the penalty spot, keeping Ghana within reach as they pushed to salvage pride in an entertaining contest.

Ghana had two goals ruled out, including a composed finish from debutant Prince Kwabena Adu, who rounded the goalkeeper before placing the ball in the net, though he appeared to have drifted offside. Brandon Thomas-Asante struck the post as Ghana created several promising openings, offering Otto Addo positives to build on after the disappointing outing against Japan.

The Black Stars used both fixtures as part of their preparations for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. With several key players missing, such as Mohammed Kudus, Thomas Partey, Mohammed Salisu, Antoine Semenyo and captain Jordan Ayew, this display provided a measure of encouragement for a squad still finding rhythm.

Ghana will discover their World Cup group opponents on December 5 when the draw is held.