Mozambique Stuns Ghana With Late Goals To Salvage Draw
In their Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) Group B encounter on Tuesday, Mozambique scored two stoppage-time penalties to salvage a 2-2 draw with Ghana at the Stade Olympique Alassane Ouattara in Abdijan, Cote d’Ivoire.
The Black Stars looked set to pick up its first Group B win after Jordan Ayew netted two first-half spot kicks following fouls on Joseph Painstil and Mohammed Kudus.
But Mozambique launched a remarkable late fightback after Andre Ayew gave away a penalty converted by Geny Catamo in the 90th minute.
With the final action of a dramatic match, Reinildo Mandava then slammed in a header to steal a point amid unbelievable scenes.
The astonishing comeback leaves the Black Stars of Ghana still searching for its first victory at the 2023 AFCON after three matches.
The Ghanaian side had impressed for long spells but crumbled under pressure right at the death to put them on the brink of an early exit from the tournament in miserable fashion.
⌚️ FULL-TIME!
An amazing Mozambique comeback as teams share points! 👏#MOZGHA | #TotalEnergiesAFCON2023 pic.twitter.com/8k8yMI6qET
— CAF (@CAF_Online) January 22, 2024
“In three matches we have two points with a lot of energy spent. We were in a position where you had to score three goals to be safe,” Ghana coach Chris Hughton said. “We lost concentration.”
“It’s very difficult when you hold a two-goal lead and get caught up in a few minutes. We haven’t been as good as we would have hoped. We lost a lot of points. We we put ourselves in a good position to win but we were caught. I take the responsibility.”
With two points, Ghana now have a slim chance to progress to the knockout round of the AFCON, tagged Côte d’lvoire 2023.
Group B ✅
Matchday 3 is over and the standings are settled for group B! 🙌#TotalEnergiesAFCON2023 pic.twitter.com/wvLEPyRdH9
— CAF (@CAF_Online) January 22, 2024
The Black Stars needed a win to progress but were undone by an incredible 23-minute Mozambican barrage in the dying moments.
After dominating much of the match, careless defending ultimately proved Ghana’s undoing as Mozambique snatched a thrilling point.
Tuesday’s AFCON results
Equatorial Guinea 4-0 Côte d’lvoire
Guinea-Bissau 0-1 Nigeria
Cape Verde 2-2 Egypt
Mozambique 2-2 Ghana.
Comments are closed.