Ghana lost its final group match at the Africa Cup of Nations 3-2 against Comoros, finishing at the bottom of Group C with just one point from three games. Previously in the tournament, The Black Stars lost 1-0 to Morocco and drew 1-1 against Gabon.
Comoros, an AFCON first-timer, hadn’t won any points or scored any goals before playing Ghana, losing 1-0 to Gabon and 2-0 to Morocco in earlier matches.
Despite having Arsenal’s Thomas Partey, Crystal Palace’s Jordan Ayew, and Leicester’s Daniel Amartey in their starting line-up, Ghana found it hard to intimidate their rivals. Comoros took an early lead thanks to Ben Nabouhane’s goal in the fourth minute before Ahmed Mogni made it 2-0 just after the hour mark.
Veteran Ghanian star Andre Ayew was shown a red card in the 25th minute, leaving his team to fight with just 10 men. Ghana did climb back from its abyss, with Richmond Boakye and Alexander Djiku making it 2-2 with 15 minutes left in the match. But Comoros had the last word when Mogni scored in the 85th minute, giving the AFCON debutants the chance to qualify for the knock-out stages of the competition.
With just 10 men on its side, Ghana dominated possession (62% compared to 38%) and had eight shots on target compared to Comoros’ three. Ghana also led with 11 corners to Comoros’ two.
Comoros, the best AFCON 2021 story so far
Comoros finished third in Group C and awaits the finalization of the group stage to find out if they will move through to the next stage.
The island nation has fewer than a million inhabitants and won its first official match in its 20th attempt in 2016. Comoros is ranked 132nd in the world. Many of the squad’s AFCON members are born abroad, with several players coming from the French lower divisions.
Before beating African giants Ghana, Comoros qualified for AFCON following an impressive campaign that saw them lose just once in six games, 4-0 against Egypt. Ahead of the tournament, Ghana was at +1400 to triumph at the AFCON in Cameroon, with Comoros at a staggering +50000. The outsiders were at +4000 to qualify from the group, with Ghana at +180.
Algeria could be the next giant to exit the tournament. The 2019 AFCON champions have no other option than to win against Group E leaders Cote d’Ivoire on Thursday to advance. Algeria is at +125 to win, with Cote d’Ivoire at +225, and a draw at +200.