Germany Defeat Ghana and Prompt Coaching Change Ahead of the World Cup

Thanks to a late goal from substitute Deniz Undav, Germany secured a 2-1 friendly victory over Ghana at home in Stuttgart, as both teams continue their preparations for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

The German national team entered the match aiming to extend their run of positive results, and they managed to control large spells of the game. They opened the scoring in first-half stoppage time through Kai Havertz, who converted a penalty after a handball by defender Jonas Adjetey, giving Germany a 1-0 lead at the break.

In the second half, Ghana attempted to get back into the game by relying on counter-attacks and quick transitions, which paid off in the 70th minute when substitute Issahaku Fatawu equalized after a precise assist from Derrick Köhn, restoring parity and putting the hosts under pressure.

However, head coach Julian Nagelsmann managed to reinvigorate his attacking line by introducing Stuttgart forward Undav early in the second half, and the substitution proved decisive. Undav capitalized on a pass from Leroy Sané to score the winning goal in the 88th minute in front of his home crowd, sealing Germany’s seventh consecutive victory following last week’s hard-fought 4-3 friendly win over Switzerland. Meanwhile, Ghana’s struggles continued as they suffered a fourth straight defeat.

Germany are set to play two more friendlies in May and June against Finland and the United States, before heading to the World Cup where they will compete in Group E alongside Curaçao, Ecuador, and Ivory Coast, as they aim to reassert their status on the global stage.

On the other hand, the consequences of Ghana’s defeat extended beyond the result, as the Ghana Football Association announced the dismissal of head coach Otto Addo just hours after the loss, with around 70 days remaining before the World Cup. The decision followed a series of poor results, most notably a heavy 5-1 defeat to Austria, prompting the federation to make a managerial change in hopes of correcting the team’s course ahead of the tournament.

In an official statement, the Ghana FA thanked Addo for his efforts during his tenure, noting that a new technical direction for the Black Stars would be announced in due course, as they look to restore stability ahead of a challenging World Cup group featuring England, Croatia, and Panama.