On Sunday, January 14, 2024, Ghana's first match in the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) was a disappointing 2-1 loss to Cape Verde. At the Felix Houphouet-Boigny Stadium, the Island nation defeated the Black Stars.
Jamiro Monteiro and Garry Rodrigues scored the goals that hurt them, and Alexander Djiku's goal was just a consolation. Chris Hughton made some tough decisions about the starting lineup, leaving Mohammed Kudus and Inaki Williams on the bench. Gideon Mensah, Mohammed Salisu, Alexander Djiku, Denis Odoi, and Richard Ofori made the starting lineup for the back four. In midfield, Baba Iddrisu teamed up with Majeed Ashimeru, while Jordan Ayew and Joseph Paintsil began on the left and right sides, respectively.
The family of Ransford Filling in for Kudus at No. 10, Yeboah Konigsdoffer made his Ghana debut after a strong cameo in the friendly against Namibia; Antoine Semenyo spearheaded the assault. The Black Stars were looking to take over Group B after Egypt's thrilling 2-2 tie with Mozambique earlier in the day.
Ashimeru nearly set up Semenyo for an early goal with a raging run down the middle, giving the Black Stars a great opportunity to take the lead. After Semenyo went down in the penalty area of the Cape Verdean box, Hughton's team persisted in pressing, and the referee waved away a potential penalty.
Shortly after, the Blue Sharks had another penalty claim rejected, this time because Djiku looked to have handled a swinging cross. The island nation made the most of their opportunity to take the lead and dominated possession for the better part of the first twenty-five minutes. When Ofori missed a long-range shot, Jamiro Monteiro was able to score off the rebound, confirming Cape Verde's supremacy. The Black Stars came roaring back after the score and came close to equalizing seven minutes later on a low cross from Mensah that Konigsdoffer failed to connect with.
Anderlecht midfielder Ashimeru pounced on a loose ball after Yeboah's header had missed the post, and the Ghanaian players were elated as they thought they had finally broken through. However, the goal was disallowed for offside after a video assistant referee review determined that Konigsdoffer was in the way of the goalkeeper's view when Ashimeru shot.
Eleven minutes following the restart, Djiku headed in a Jordan Ayew outswinger to give the Black Stars the equalizer. Despite the equalizer giving Ghana the upper hand, Cape Verde had the superior scoring opportunities in the second half. To keep the score tied, Ofori made two spectacular saves from goal-line range.
The first was a save from Jovane Cabral, and the second was another from Garry Rodrigues, who had a one-on-one opportunity. But Rodrigues would not be denied the second time; the 33-year-old stole the show as he scored the game-winning goal in stoppage time to give Cape Verde a 1-0 lead in the AFCON. Thanks to the win, the Blue Sharks are now atop Group B, while Mozambique and Egypt are tied for last place with two points each following their earlier 2-2 draw.
Ghana, meanwhile, is in last place. In the meantime, Thursday, January 18th, will see the Black Stars take on Egypt.
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