The match, held at the Al Hoceima Grand Stadium in Morocco on Monday, was not just a triumph for Ghana but also a personal milestone for Opoku, who was making his first-ever competitive start for the national team.
Having previously featured in friendlies against USA, Nigeria, and Uganda, the 26-year-old got his first taste of competitive football with the Black Stars in a 10-minute cameo against Chad before starting against Madagascar three days later.
Speaking exclusively to Flashscore, Opoku described this moment as a dream come true.
“I’ve been really working hard and looking forward to getting a chance in the national team and I knew such a day will come for me to help the team. For me it’s always been a dream and a privilege to wear the national colors and defend the nation.”
Otto Addo made a tactical switch from a 4-1-4-1 formation in the 5-0 win over Chad to a 3-5-2 against Madagascar, which allowed Opoku to join the starting lineup at short notice. Despite having only one training session before the match, the defender was delighted to start.
“I would say I was a little surprised to start against Madagascar but as I said I had always worked and looked forward to having my time here and I hope I did what was expected of me and didn’t disappoint Ghanaians and the team. I’m super happy to finally make my official debut and full competitive debut for my country, it’s an honor,” he said.
The towering 6'5" centre-back’s transition into the three-back system was seamless, thanks to his experience with Istanbul Basaksehir, which has deployed similar formations this season.
“It easy for me because in my club we’ve played with a 3 back a couple of times this season so it was quite easy to settle in or replicate that system here also, and yeah the coaches of Ghana really worked through it and came up with a clear plan for everyone to adopt, so that also helped really well.
“I am versatile as I have played as a left back before when I was at Fulham academy and at the early stages of my career, so I’m comfortable everywhere. I just try and do my best to help the team and do whatever the coaches require of me.”
The recent victories for Ghana come after a challenging 2024, during which the team failed to qualify for the 2025 AFCON. Opoku believes these setbacks have motivated the team to push harder for World Cup qualification.
“This time we had a different and much bigger motivation because the team failed to qualify for the AFCON and so we needed to put that behind and move on, and also try and make it up to the whole country by winning games and qualifying for the World Cup.
“We had to put in much more effort to make that happen. So big shouts to the whole team, coaches and everyone involved, we know it’s not done yet so we stay focused and make sure we get the job done,” he added.
With Ghana currently leading Group I of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers with 15 points, Opoku is optimistic about the Black Stars' chances of making a fifth World Cup appearance.
“I am 200% confident of qualifying. That’s the aim and dream. We know it’s not job done yet and it won’t be easy but we will fight hard till the end to ensure that we secure the necessary and needed points to be first in group and qualify for the World Cup.
“We are working diligently to improve our game, and ensure we secure the necessary results in the remaining matches to qualify for the World Cup. We remain focused on the task ahead and believe that we will achieve our goal.”
Despite Ghana's recent success, Opoku's club side, Basaksehir, has faced a tougher season, currently sitting mid-table in the Turkish league.
“We’ve had a pretty rough season so far as compared to last season. We played in the Conference League but failed to make it out of the league phase. We are out of the League Cup also now 8th place in the league.”
“So it’s been a tough for us but the aim is to make Europe, so we work harder from now till the end season ends to try and achieve it. It’s going be tough but that’s what the game is all about, so we keeping pushing.”
Opoku has been a consistent performer for Basaksehir, starting 24 league games this season and contributing two goals and two assists.
