Cape Verde strike late to claim Ghana scalp at Cup of Nations

Abidjan (AFP) - Cape Verde managed to secure an unexpected victory against Ghana in their initial match at the Africa Cup of Nations on Sunday. Substitute player Garry Rodrigues scored the winning goal during the injury time, sealing Cape Verde's notable 2-1 triumph over the four-time former champions Ghana.

Released on: 14/01/2024 at 11:13 PMModified: 14/01/2024 at 11:43 PM

The team called the Black Stars were about to end up with a tie after Alexander Djiku scored a goal with his head to even the score with a Jamiro Monteiro goal, which was made for Cape Verde, at the Felix Houphouet Boigny Stadium located in Abidjan.

Majeed Ashimeru was unable to score a goal for Ghana after a long VAR analysis, but Cape Verde secured three points in the Group B game when Rodrigues scored in the 92nd minute.

The island nation achieved a great win and advanced to the knockout stage in the previous AFCON. This victory has placed them at the top of their group, as Egypt and Mozambique drew 2-2 before their match.

According to Pedro 'Bubista' Brito, the coach for Cape Verde, winning is the main goal for any team during their first game despite the significant importance of the match.

The taste is distinct as Ghana knocked us out in our inaugural AFCON appearance back in 2013."

Our aim is to prove our capabilities to the entire world. Despite being a small team, we are confident in our ability to match up with all the other football teams in Africa.

The evening was remarkable because Andre Ayew came on as a substitute. He is 34 years old and has played in the competition eight times, making him one of only three players with that distinction.

He currently holds the record alongside Rigobert Song, who is currently coaching Cameroon, as well as Ahmed Hassan of Egypt.

The outcome for a nation whose count of AFCON triumphs is only exceeded by Egypt and Cameroon is of more significant importance to Ghanaians.

Nonetheless, their most recent championship was obtained in 1982 and they were eliminated in the group stage during the most recent edition in 2022.

Chris Hughton's squad arrived here after losing 1-0 to the Comoros in a World Cup qualifier in November. This has raised some concerns about their ability to have a significant influence in Ivory Coast.

"We allowed a goal that was of low quality, resulting in a night that is quite disheartening for us," commented Hughton on the goal scored by Cape Verde that led to their victory.

We must ensure that the outcome of our upcoming match against Egypt is positive and advantageous.

Their chances were not improved by the absence of Mohammed Kudus, who has been performing exceptionally well with West Ham United in the prominent English Premier League. He was not present on the pitch nor on the substitute bench.

In the 17th minute, Cape Verde took the lead by scoring a goal. It happened after Jovane Cabral took a shot which was blocked by the Ghana goalkeeper Richard Ofori. But without wasting any time, Monteiro, who has played most of his career in MLS, quickly followed up and scored the goal.

Ghana, who had strong support from a crowd of approximately 12,000 people, believed they had scored an equalizing goal in the 36th minute.

Ashimeru, who plays for Anderlecht, scored a goal by shooting the ball from outside the designated area towards the low corner. The shot came just after goalkeeper Vozinha cleared a cross from Antoine Semenyo, and the ball rebounded off the woodwork after hitting Ghana forward Ransford-Yeboah Koenigsdoerffer.

However, the objective was disallowed after undergoing a lengthy VAR examination. The referee appeared to decide that Koenigsdoerffer was obstructing the goalkeeper's vision when he returned from an offside position.

On the 56th minute, Djiku scored a goal from the ball delivered by Jordan Ayew, which made the score 1-1. Following that, Andre Ayew, Ernest Nuamah, and Inaki Williams were brought on by Ghana in their pursuit of winning the game.

However, Cape Verde managed to exploit the weaknesses in Ghana's defence and secured a victory through a ghastly moment for the Ghanaian team. Ofori was unable to handle a pass played low into the box, and Rodrigues made the most of the opportunity, resulting in boisterous celebrations for Cape Verde.