Black Stars stumble in Bouaké as Ivory Coast strike twice

Ghana's road to the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations began with a setback on Thursday as Ivory Coast took the Group C opener 2-0 at the Stade de la Paix in Bouaké.

Malick Yalcouyé broke the deadlock just before half-time, letting fly from outside the area and beating Lawrence Ati-Zigi at his near post. The midfielder was involved again after the break, going down under a challenge from Fatawu Issahaku inside the box. Ghana's players protested the decision, but Franck Kessié stepped up and converted the penalty to settle the contest.

A patched-up Ghana side

Carlos Queiroz, who was reappointed as head coach only weeks after stepping down following the World Cup, was working without several senior figures. Mohammed Kudus was absent, while Jordan Ayew and Antoine Semenyo pulled out of the squad through injury.

Brandon Thomas-Asante led the line, supported by Christopher Bonsu Baah, Fatawu and Ernest Nuamah. With the Black Stars two goals down, Queiroz made a triple change around the hour, sending on Felix Afena-Gyan, Benjamin Tetteh and debutant Augustine Boakye.

The changes brought more urgency. Caleb Yirenkyi forced a sharp save from Yahia Fofana late on, and Afena-Gyan and Boakye both threatened in stoppage time, but the Ivorian goalkeeper kept his clean sheet intact.

What comes next

The result gives Hervé Renard a winning start to his second spell in charge of the Elephants, while Ghana sit bottom of Group C after The Gambia opened with a 2-1 win over Somalia.

There is little time to dwell on it. Ghana host The Gambia at the Accra Sports Stadium on Tuesday, September 29, and Queiroz will be looking for a quick response to get the campaign back on track.

Photo: Jeanpierrekepseu / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0