Despite Ghana's humbling 5-1 defeat to Austria, Black Stars head coach Otto Addo refused to paint the performance as a complete failure, pointing to a promising first half that could have changed the complexion of the game.

Speaking after the heavy loss at the Ernst Happel Stadium, Addo acknowledged the pain of the result but insisted there were moments of encouragement before the second-half collapse.

"At the end, I think we had a good first half, where we had some really, really good situations where we could have scored. Out of three or four situations, we at least should have scored one," he said.

The Black Stars created clear-cut chances in the opening 45 minutes, but wayward finishing and poor decision-making in the final third allowed Austria to escape unscathed before punishing Ghana after the break.

"The second half was really, really not good enough at all. Everybody is playing in the World Cup, and we need to play with more intensity. I expect much, much more against the ball."

Addo admitted he could not recall a defeat of this magnitude during his tenure.

"I can't really remember us losing like this. It was really, really disappointing."

But he stressed that the result, however painful, must serve as a learning experience, especially for the younger players in the squad.

"There are big, big lessons to learn, especially for our young players."

Ghana will face Germany on Monday in their second friendly of the international window, with Addo demanding a response to restore confidence ahead of the World Cup.

The first half offered glimpses of what this team can achieve; the challenge now is to sustain it for 90 minutes.