Every Ghanaian is really sad that Ghana AFCON is once again stopping at the semis, with the Black Stars unable to end this long and miserable jinx last night…
Cameroon beat Ghana 2-0 in African Cup of Nations Semi-final match held at the Stade de Franceville Thursday night.
Ghana started the match in command, as Christian Atsu provided an early threat down the right. The clash which was really a hot and aggressive one saw no goal throughout the first half. Jordan Ayew did well to beat the offside trap five minutes to the end of the first half; but the newly signed Swansea forward flashed his effort from an acute angle narrowly across the face of goal.
The deadlock was finally broken 72nd minute into the second half, as Cameroon’s Michael Ngadeu-Ngadjui put the ball into Ghana’s net from a free-kick, taking advantage of Braimah and defender John Boye’s misjudgment.
As it remained few minutes to the end of the game, Ghana’s players piled forward, desperately fighting to earn an equalizer. But, a poor delivery into the box resulted in a quick Cameroon counter-attack, which Bassogog taking advantage of the space at the Black Stars side, swiftly rounded off past the onrushing Brimah to seal the win.
Although the Black Stars fought it out with the Indomitable Lions all through the game, they were unable to have their way due to the Lions’ unbeatable and never-left-to-chance defense. Many say the scores against Ghana were all made possible by (careless) defensive slips on the part of the Black Stars. But, others have described it as sheer ill-luck.
It is believed that the aggressive fight maintained by the Cameroon’s team was as a result of the backlashes they have so far received, having been described as the “worst team ever” before the AFCON 2017 tournament. Cameroon who just played her first semifinal in nine years, is now set to face Egypt in a final fight for the AFCON title on Sunday, with Ghana to face Burkina Faso in the third-place playoff on Saturday evening.
Ghana won the Africa Cup of Nations title last in 1982; and since 2008, the team have reached the semifinals, but failed to lift the continent’s most prestigious prize. And we’re sad that once again, Ghana AFCON has ended in the semis, with the Black Stars maintaining the nick name -“Africa’s nearly men”.
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