Former Ghana international goalkeeper Ali Jarah has come to the defence of Lawrence Ati-Zigi following the Black Stars’ heavy defeat to Austria, insisting the shot-stopper delivered a solid performance despite conceding five goals.
Ati-Zigi, who plays for FC St. Gallen, was in goal during Ghana’s first of two international friendlies this month. The Black Stars suffered a 5-1 loss at the Ernst Happel Stadium on Friday, March 27.
However, Jarah believes the scoreline does not accurately reflect the goalkeeper’s contribution, pointing instead to defensive lapses.
“The goals we conceded were not goalkeeping errors. I think Ati-Zigi performed well against Austria; he made three good saves. The problem I saw was communication between him and the defense,” he told Connect FM.
Jarah further argued that comparisons between Ati-Zigi and Benjamin Asare must be viewed in context, noting that differing match situations often influence outcomes.
“One thing that Ghanaians need to know about Benjamin Asare and Ati-Zigi is that Asare doesn’t concede a lot when he is the poles. It’s like Salifu Ansah and Mohammed Odoom; one faces the ball more, which results in conceding more goals,” he added.
“What we need to do is ensure that if Ati-Zigi is in post, we score at least two goals to stay in control of games,” he added.
Ghana will conclude their March international window with a high-profile clash against Germany in Stuttgart later today, with kick-off set for 18:45 GMT.
