By Eniola Olatunji
Former African Champions, Black Stars of Ghana got an embarrassing knock from the Blue Sharks of Cape Verde who ate them raw 2-1 in the second match of Group B at the Stade Felix Houpheouet-Boigny, Abidjan.
It was a day Ghana’s hustle was not acceptable to Heaven as America’s San Jose Earthquake Midfielder; Jamiro Monteiro scored the opener in the 17th minute through a solo effort.
Ghana made brilliant efforts to equalize with a ball rolling off the arm of their attacker and hitting the upright and the goal mouth melee caught three Ghanaian players offside diffusing a blaster of a goal that was celebrated by the Black Stars only for VAR to overrule in the 37th minute when Cape Verdes’ Keeper complained his view was impaired by the three players who blocked his view.
The equalizer eventually came from a mathematical corner kick taken by Jordan Ayew that Fernabache Centre Back; Alexander Djiku converted into goal in the 56th minute of play. Djiku was virtually the best Black Star on the field as he blocked many goal bound shots saving Ghana from being rolled in the mud by Cape Verde.
Ghana called in Andrew Ayew who was playing his 8th AFCON tournament equaling the record of former Cameroon Captain and present Coach, Rigobert Song and Ahmed of Egypt; if he had scored he would have been the first player to score in seven AFCON tournaments.
AS it happened with Egypt scoring late goal, Tavares got Garry Rodrigues in 90+2 minutes who slammed in the winner and took off like a jet in to the stands to celebrate his goal pulling off his jersey in the process. The Centre Ref on his return flashed him a befitting yellow card for his iniquities.
Cover photo is Garry Rodrigues celebrating his goal in the stands.
The loss became a headache to Ghana who are now like a chicken that flew unto a rope meant to spread clothes and the chicken will be definitely uncomfortable.
The group is still open by the results of the first group matches but the group second round matches will be played on Thursday 18th January when Egypt face Ghana at 2100 hours in a decisive match and Cape Verde will meet Mozambique on Friday 19th January at 1500 hours.
The Blue Sharks of Cape Verde always suffer heavy defeat from West African countries as she lost 1-5 to Senegal in Mali on 12th February 1984; lost to Ghana 0-4 at home in Praia on 8th October 2005; lost 0-4 to Guinea in Conakry on 9th September 2007; lost 0-4 to Burkina Faso in Ougadougu on 14th November 2017 but also lost to Algeria 1-5 in Constantine on 12th October 2023.
Ghana ranked 61 in the world and Cape Verde ranked 73 met twice. On 5th September 2004 Ghana beat the Sharks 2-0 in a world cup match and on 2nd February 2013 it was another 2-0 for Ghana in AFCON match.
Cape Verde is appearing for the 4th time but her best result was a quarterfinal at South Africa 2013 when Ghana dismissed her 2-0 at Port Elizabeth on 2nd February 2013.
Cape Verde had on 12th October 2021 lost 1-5 to Algeria in a friendly match; lost to lowly rated Comoros Island 1-2 in a friendly on 17th October 2923; Angola forced Cape Verde to 0-0 in a world cup match on home ground on 16th November 2023; The Sharks swallowed Eswatini 2-0 in a world cup encounter on 21st November 2023 and on 10th January 2024 Tunisia crushed the Sharks 2-0 in a friendly.
The Black Stars of Ghana lost to Mexico in a friendly 0-2 on 15th October 2023; lost 0-4 to USA in another friendly on 18th October 2023; on 17th November 2023 Ghana piped Madagascar by a lone goal in a world cup duel; shockingly Comoros Island dimmed the Black Stars 1-0 in a world cup match on 21st November 2023 and on 8th January 2024 Ghana played Goalless with Namibia in a friendly.
Ghana is four times champions of Africa. Ghana first lifted the trophy hosting in 1963 by beating Sudan 3-0; Ghana won again in 1965 in Tunisia beating Tunisia 3-2 after extra time; it was a Silver at Ethiopia 68 when Democratic Republic of Congo surprisingly won by a lone goal; at Sudan 70 Ghana again lost this time to Sudan by a lone goal in the final; Ghana won in 1978 while hosting beating Uganda Cranes 2-0 and also in Libya 82 on 7-6 penalties after 1-1 at full time; In Senegal 92 Ghana lost via penalty in the finals to Ivory Coat 11-10 on pens after goalless match; in South Africa 96 she lost 0-1 to Zambia to place 4th.
Ghana co-hosted with Nigeria in 2000 but got no honors; in 2008 she hosted and won Bronze beating Ivory Coast 4-2; she narrowly lost the trophy by a lone goal to Egypt at Angola 2010; placed 4th losing to Mali 0-2 when Equatorial Guinea and Gabon hosted in 2012; placed 4th again at South Africa 2013 losing to Mali 1-3; stopped by Ivory Coast to win the trophy at Equatorial Guinea in 2015 and in 2017 at Gabon placed 4th losing the Bronze to Burkina Faso by a lone goal.
Tomorrow Monday Senegal will open the day against Gambia at the Konan Banny Stadium, Yamoussoukro at 2pm in group C and the second group C match will be played at 5pm between Cameroon and Guinea while a group D match between Algeria and Angola is at 8pm at the Stade de la Paix Bouake.
On Tuesday 16th January a group D match between Burkina Faso and Mauritania will take place at Stade Bouake at 3pm; Tunisia will slug it out with Namibia at 6pm at Ahmoudu Coulibaly Stadium in group E and another Group E match between Mali and South Africa is at 9pm.
Eniola Olatunji reporting for Patmos Media Line.
#CAF #IvoryCoast2024 #NFF.
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