AFCON 2023: Black Stars held by Pharaohs in titanic fight

Posted : 19 January 2024

In a bid to atone for their loss to the Blue Sharks of Cape Verde, the Black Stars of Ghana labored to a 2-2 stalemate against the seven-time winners of the AFCON, the Pharaohs of Egypt, in the first match of the second round of the Group B encounter.

It was quite a day for the skillful player from West Ham United in England, Mohammed Kudus, who recovered from injury to work his magic after missing his side's first match.

Kudus produced a five-star performance for the Black Stars of Ghana, scoring a brace in a match that Ghana will not forget, as their obvious blunders eventually denied them a win after going ahead with two goals.

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Kudus received a through pass from Abdul in the 18-yard box, beating three opponents, including the Egyptian goalkeeper, to score a curtain-raiser at 45+3 minutes.

Kudus then completed his brace in the 71st minute after receiving a ball from the right flank, beating a man, and firing a shot into the net that the Egyptian goalkeeper could not save, putting the score at 2-0.

However, Ghana’s Inaki Williams dashed the Egyptians' hopes of an equalizer from a terribly faulty back pass, which Eintracht Frankfurt left-winger, Omar Marmosh, pounced upon and gleefully slotted into the left far corner at the 64th minute to make it 1-1.

In another defensive blunder from Ghana, Nantes striker from France, Mostafa Mohammed, also scored an own goal, ensuring an unwarranted equalizer for the Pharaohs of Egypt in the 74th minute.

In the first-round matches, Egypt drew 2-2 with Mozambique, and Ghana lost 1-2 to Cape Verde. Cape Verde will meet Mozambique tomorrow, but the final group matches will be played on Monday, January 22nd, at 9 pm between Mozambique and Ghana, and Cape Verde and Egypt.

With the result, Cape Verde is leading Group B with 3 points, scoring 2 goals and conceding 1; Egypt is 2nd with 2 points, scoring 4 goals and conceding 4 goals as well; Mozambique is 3rd with a point, scoring 2 goals and conceding 2 goals, and Ghana rocks the bottom with a point in two matches, scoring 3 goals and conceding 4.

Egypt, ranked 33rd in the world, is making its 26th appearance and is the most decorated country in African football. They are seven times champions, a feat far from achievement by any other country on the continent.

The country won the maiden cup in 1957 in Sudan when four teams were playing the tournament and defeated Ethiopia 4-0 in the finals. In 1974, Egypt came back with a Bronze while hosting and defeated the Democratic Republic of Congo 4-0. In 1976, in Ethiopia, Nigeria pushed Egypt to the 4th position with a score of 3-2. Egypt again was left stranded in the 4th position in Lagos in 1980 as Morocco made it 2-0, and the 4th position in a row was completed in Ivory Coast in 1984 as Algeria beat the Pharaohs 3-1.

AFCON 2023: Black Stars held by Pharaohs in titanic fight

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