Ghana outclassed by Ivory Coast in opener for AFCON 2027 qualifier

[p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/yalcouye-malick/jq2xC9XI/"]Malick Yalcouye[/a] opened the scoring late in the first half before [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/kessie-franck/n7dQ4tBL/"]Franck Kessie[/a] doubled the Elephants’ advantage from the penalty spot after Yalcouyé was adjudged to have been brought down by [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/fataw-issahaku/bZdUUhdL/"]Fatawu Issahaku[/a].[/p][p]Carlos Queiroz’s side struggled to impose themselves for long periods as [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/ivory-coast/G2FRjBgn/"]Ivory Coast [/a]controlled possession and created the better opportunities.[/p][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/ghana/nNBjHale/"]Ghana[/a] had the first sight of goal when [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/nuamah-ernest/rsiloRPO/"]Ernest Nuamah[/a] fired wide from outside the box after spotting goalkeeper [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/fofana-yahia/rqDavwpd/"]Yahia Fofana[/a] off his line.[/p][p]Ivory Coast gradually took control, with [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/pepe-nicolas/j3Hk0qEj/"]Nicolas Pepe[/a] forcing [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/ati-zigi-lawrence/MLx41pIf/"]Lawrence Ati-Zigi[/a] into a save after cutting inside before Ghana were dealt the decisive blow in the 44th minute.[/p][p]Yalcouye received the ball outside the box and produced a powerful right-footed shot, beating Ati-Zigi at his near post and sending the hosts into half-time with the lead.[/p][image alt="Match stats" id="ca6a3db8-e937-40bd-b5e2-4ca78a1539a3" credit-line="Flashscore" hidden-attrs="alt, credit" guid="e4bed5af-a583-4444-8a43-55e37b0091af" original-width="2160" original-height="2700" /][p]Ghana attempted to respond after the break but found it difficult to create clear openings against an organised Ivorian defence.[/p][p]The hosts were then awarded a penalty in the 58th minute after Yalcouye went down following a challenge from Issahaku inside the box. The Ghanaian players protested the decision, but the referee pointed to the spot.[/p][p]Kessie stepped up and calmly converted to put Ivory Coast two goals ahead.[/p][p]Queiroz reacted by making a triple substitution in the 64th minute, introducing [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/afena-gyan-felix/G4pacAW7/"]Felix Afena-Gyan[/a], [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/tetteh-benjamin/rqqoj1jM/"]Benjamin Tetteh[/a] and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/boakye-augustine/lp6kCEjc/"]Augustine Boakye[/a] in place of Ernest Nuamah, [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/brandon-thomas-asante/2TmTgQFn/"]Brandon Thomas-Asante[/a] and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/baah-christopher/6c7Dv5yG/"]Christopher Bonsu Baah[/a].[/p][p]The changes brought more urgency to Ghana’s attacking play, with Tetteh and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/yirenkyi-caleb/INmgLCSF/"]Yirenkyi[/a] both testing the Ivorian defence late in the game.[/p][p]Afena-Gyan and Boakye also came close in stoppage time, but Ghana could not find a way past Fofana as Ivory Coast held on for a comfortable victory.[/p][h2]Ghana continue to create meaningful chances under Queiroz[/h2][p]The defeat once again highlighted Ghana’s problems in front of goal under Queiroz. The Black Stars have struggled to create opportunities under the Portuguese coach, but converting those chances into goals remains a major concern.[/p][p]Ghana had several attacking moments against Ivory Coast but were unable to turn them into a goal, continuing a pattern that has followed the team through Queiroz’s tenure.[/p][p]The Black Stars scored only twice during the 2026 World Cup group stage and also failed to register a shot on target in their Round of 32 defeat to [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/colombia/G02s4PCS/"]Colombia[/a].[/p][p]Against Ivory Coast, Ghana eventually managed two shots on target, but neither was enough to change the outcome.[/p][embed guid="42c792e7-68a1-45df-ae00-3b40a6f63e99" url="https://x.com/_owurakuampofo/status/2103231868808073623?s=20" social-type="twitter" /][p]Under Queiroz, Ghana have played only 8 shots on target and created five big chances in five competitive games.[/p][p]The result leaves Ghana at the bottom of Group C after the opening round of fixtures, with The Gambia and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/somalia/Aiu9mqIL/"]Somalia[/a] still to play their first match.[/p][p]The Black Stars will have an opportunity to respond when they host The Gambia at the Accra Sports Stadium on September 29th before travelling to Morocco for a friendly against the Atlas Lions on October 4th.[/p][p][b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/soccer/ghana-nNBjHale/ivory-coast-G2FRjBgn/?mid=xzhK7LUO"]See all the stats from the match here[/a][/b][/p][image alt="Owuraku Ampofo" id="345f5fd0-6a26-4f45-8078-6462582c5da7" credit-line="Flashscore" hidden-attrs="alt, credit" guid="1de2d85f-6d04-493b-ba72-24ebe5400b50" original-width="1200" original-height="381" /]