Ghana suffered a shock defeat against Comoros as they crashed out of the tournament early.
Comoros defeated Ghana 3-2 in their Africa Cup of Nations game on Tuesday. The Black Stars’ AFCON journey came to a surprising end as they lost their final group-stage game.
Early exit for AFCON giants!
Ghana came into the match knowing they had to win to qualify for the next round. The Black stars lost their tournament opener against Morocco before drawing against Gabon.
However, it was Comoros who shocked their opponents with an early opener. Ben Nabouhane scored his nation’s first-ever AFCON goal with a precise shot into the bottom corner of the net.
Having conceded the goal, Ghana pushed to get an equalizer but suffered another huge blow in the 25th minute. A careless challenge from Andre Ayew persuaded the referee to review the scene from the touchline monitor. Following a lengthy check, he sent Ghana’s captain off with a straight red card.
Having gone a man down, the Black Stars went all-in with their attacks in the second period. Their plan soon backfired, with Ahemd Mogni doubling Comoros’ lead just after the hour-mark.
Richmond Boakye got one back for Ghana three minutes later as they tried to mount a comeback. The Black Stars came closer to turning things around when they found the equalizer through Alexander Djiku in the 77th minute.
Knowing a draw would not be enough for their qualification, Ghana pushed to get a late match-winner. The Black stars even made several decent chances to get their third goal. However, they were too tired to continue fighting on two fronts.
Comoros snatched a match-winner when Benjaloud Youssouf drilled a precise assist from the left flank into Ghana’s box. Mogni nodded the ball to complete his brace as soon as he received the pass in the 85th minute.
Despite their victory, Comoros failed to qualify for the next round as they finished in third place. Elsewhere in the group, Morocco and Gabon drew 2-2 as they qualified as the group leaders and runner ups, respectively.
Ghana crashed out of the tournament after finishing in fourth place on the Group C table. The Black Stars will now prepare for the last round of the African World Cup qualifiers in March.
Player Ratings
Ghana: Wollacott (5); Yiadom (5), Amartey (6), Djiku (7), Rahman (6); Partey (7), Kyereh (7), Issahaku (6); Suleymana (6), J. Ayew (6), A. Ayew (4).
Bench: Painstil (6), Owusu (5), Boakye (7), Addo (6).
Comoros: Boina (7); Youssouf (7), Mdahoma (6), Zahary (6), Bakari (7); Mogni (8), M’Changama (7), Bachirou (6), Selemani (6); Ibroihim (6), Nabouhane (8).
Bench: Mattoir (6), Abdullah (5), Ahamada (6), Youssouf (6), Abdou (5).
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