Ghana will have to wait to win their fifth African Cup of Nations (AFCON) title, after an embarrassing defeat to Comoros condemned the Black Stars to a group stage exit.
The Black Stars hardly caught the eye at the competition, losing to Morocco in the first match of the group stage before conceding a late equaliser in a feisty second group game against Gabon.
The draw against Gabon meant Ghana must win against island nation, Comoros in their third group game but such expectations soon got extinguished.
Barely four minutes into the game, Comoros took the lead through El Fardou Ben as they scored their first goal ever in the competition. Poor defending from Ghana had seen El Fardou left with an acre of space to drive a low left-footed effort past the Ghanaian goalkeeper.
Just when Ghana upped the ante and tried to restore parity to muster any hope of progression to the next round, skipper Andre Ayew was red-carded for injuring the Comoros goalkeeper. Replays showed Ayew got the ball before brushing the goalkeeper’s mouth with the sole of his boot but the damage had been done. Ghana would struggle.
The Black Stars came to the party after their captain’s dismissal and had what could be their best performance in the competition but it never proved enough as Comoros struck again in the 61st minute through Ahmed Mogni. Beitar Jerusalem attacker Richmond Boakye pulled one back in the 64th minute while Strasbourg defender, Alexander Djiku helped Ghana restore parity in the 77th minute.
While the Ghanaians pushed for a third goal and playing with a numerical disadvantage, the Coelequanth scored a third and the winner in the 85th minute, again through Mogni. The final goal of the game was enough to help Comoros achieve a rare feat and condemn Ghana to their first group stage exit since 2006.
Gabon, Morocco Book A Place In Round of 16
Gabon have been one of the bright lights of this year’s AFCON as they got their second big draw of the group stage, and a place in the Round of 16 in a group that had Morocco and Ghana as favourites.
The Panthers led twice in the game against the group winners, barely a day after their most illustrious players, Pierre Emerick Aubameyang and Adam Lemina left the Gabon camp over heart-related issues and COVID-19.
Jim Allevinah scored the first goal of the game in the 21st minute and led until the 74th minute when Morocco restored parity through Soufiane Boufal’s penalty. An own goal gave Gabon the second but the joy was short-lived as Achraf Hakimi scored a beautiful free kick to put the game level. Both teams have booked a place in the next round of the competition.
Senegal, Guinea Progress, Malawi Wait
Senegal are yet to come to life at the competition but have done enough to be assured of their place as group leaders. The Lions of Teranga played out a goalless draw against the flames of Malawi and finished as table toppers in Group B with five points. The Senegalese scored just once and conceded none in three games as they won one and drew two of their matches.
“It’s a tremendous achievement for Malawi to be able to get four points as we have been adapting a different system and the players managed to adapt and now we are on cloud nine. We played for the entire Malawi nation as the country has been experiencing problems like flooding and the good performance has given them a new spirit and encouragement. We have achieved our mission in the tournament despite myself and other players having suffered from Covid the team has been strong as we implemented our strategy against our tough opponents,” Marian Marinica, Malawi Assistant Coach said after the game.
Guinea are second in the group despite losing to Zimbabwe in their final group game but had done enough to secure a place in the next round. Malawi will have to wait to see if their four points will be enough to see them scale through to the next round of the competition. The Malawians have scored twice and conceded just twice too.