Garry Rodrigues, who came on as a substitute in the second half, scored a last-minute winning goal, causing great disappointment for the Ghanaian team in the AFCON 2023 opener on Sunday night.
Cape Verde took the lead in the 17th minute with a smooth and coordinated play. After a quick exchange of passes, right full-back Steven Moreira made a run down the right side and passed the ball to Jovane Cabral, who attempted a shot on goal without hesitation. Richard Ofori, the Ghanaian goalkeeper, made a good save, but Jamiro Monteiro was there to score from the rebound.
Just nine minutes after conceding the opening goal, Ghana had a great chance to equalize. Gideon Mensah delivered a perfect cross into the box for Ransford-Yeboah Konigsdorffer, but unfortunately, he failed to keep his shot on target from close range.
Anderlecht’s Majeed Ashimeru came close to scoring in the 36th minute with a powerful long-range shot from about 20 yards. However, after a lengthy VAR review, the goal was disallowed due to Konigsdorffer obstructing the view of Cape Valverde goalkeeper Vozinha while in an offside position.
The Black Stars managed to equalize in the 56th minute thanks to Crystal Palace’s Jordan Ayew, who delivered a perfectly placed corner into the box. Alexander Djiku then headed the ball into the net.
In stoppage time, the Blue Sharks secured the victory with a goal from substitute Garry Rodrigues. The goal came after a chaotic sequence of play inside the Ghana box.
Despite suffering a heartbreaking defeat, Ghana defender Alexander Djiku was the standout player on the field. Apart from receiving a yellow card early in the game for a poor challenge near the penalty box, the center-back remained solid in defense and even scored his team’s only goal.
Former Manchester United forward Bebe had a forgettable night as he failed to score despite coming close on multiple occasions. In the 73rd minute, he had a great opportunity to put his team ahead, but Djiku cleared his effort from the goal line. Fortunately, Bebe’s lack of proficiency in front of goal did not harm his team.
The Black Stars will face Mohamed Salah’s Egypt on January 18, followed by a match against Mozambique the next day. Egypt and Mozambique played to a 2-2 draw earlier in the day.
