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Ghana opened their 2023 AFCON campaign with a shocking loss against Cape Verde in their group B game.
The West African team found it difficult to get the better of their opponent, with the match ending in a 2-1 win for the Blue Sharks.
Jamiro Monteiro gave Cape Verde the lead early in the first half before Ghana equalised in the early minutes of the second half.
However, a late goal from Garry Rodrigues in injury time settles and seals the win for Cape Verde.
As it happened
Ghana’s head coach Chris Hughton played a 4-2-3-1 formation as his team opened their AFCON campaign with Semenyo and Ayew leading the attack
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22:22 - 14.01.2024
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Beyond the slightly disappointing result, Super Eagles coach Jose Peseiro is satisfied with the performance of his players.
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22:05 - 14.01.2024
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Mozambique played 2-2 against the Pharaohs at the Felix Houphouet Stadium in Abidjan.
Bubista, Cape Verde's head coach on the other hand went for a 4-3-3 formation with Bebe and Mendes leading the attack.
The game kicked off with Cape Verde trying to get control of the game and creating the first chance of the game.
17 minutes into the game, the Blue Sharks took the lead from a team effort. Jovane fired a promising shot which was saved by the goalkeeper.
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The ball rebounded back to Jamiro Monteiro inside the box and he released a quick shot into the bottom left corner to give his team the lead.
Ghana tried to get themselves back into the game with a goal from Majeed Ashimeru but the referee was called by VAR after a review of the goal showed a Ghana player in an offside position blocking the view of the goalkeeper.
The game continued and Ghana tried to create more chances but could not convert, with the referee blowing the whistle for halftime.
Ghana resumed the second have looked bright with a sense of hunger in them to get the equaliser.
Their effort paid off in the 56th minute when Alexander Djiku jumped highest inside the box to meet a perfectly executed corner kick by Jordan Ayew.
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His header was precise and ended up inside the left post, leaving the goalkeeper flapping in the wind.
Both teams continued to push for another goal to clinch the win, with several chances going begging.
However, in the 92nd minute, Benchimol sprayed a pass out to Garry Rodrigues who had an easy job to slot the ball into an empty net.
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The referee blew the whistle for full-time, with Cape Verde handing the Black Stars of Ghana their first defeat in the 2023 AFCON tournament.
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