Ghana endured a disastrous start to their 2023 Africa Cup of Nations campaign, suffering a surprising 2-1 defeat to Cape Verde in their inaugural Group B encounter.
Veteran forward Jordan Ayew points to a crucial missing element that the team needed to overcome Cape Verde’s challenge.
Cape Verde’s Jamiro Monteiro capitalized on a 17th-minute opportunity after Richard Ofori parried a powerful shot, giving the Blue Sharks an early lead. Although the Black Stars leveled the score with a goal from Majeed Ashimeru, it was disallowed for offside. Alexander Djiku managed to score Ghana’s lone goal in the 56th minute.
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Unfortunately, Chris Hughton’s squad conceded a late goal in the 92nd minute when Garry Rodrigues tapped into an empty net, resulting in a painful defeat for Ghana, as reported by BBC.
Reflecting on the loss, Jordan Ayew emphasized the team’s lack of experience as a key factor.
“We lack experience. You can say anything, but at the end of the day, more than 10 of the players are playing their first AFCON, so these mistakes will happen. So we need to learn quickly because AFCON is not waiting for anyone. We are men, and we need to stand up,” stated Ayew via Joel Bortey.
Despite not being considered favorites in the tournament, the pressure is on Ghana to make amends, especially after their early exit in the 2021 edition. Their last AFCON triumph occurred in 2019. Upcoming matches against seven-time champions Egypt and Mozambique, who drew 2-2 in the other Group B match, present opportunities for redemption.