Ghana was eliminated from the Africa Cup of Nations after a 3-2 loss to Comoros, in which captain Andre Ayew was sent off.
After four minutes, AFCON debutants Comoros took the lead through Ben Mohamed, and things got even worse for Ghana – who included Arsenal midfielder Thomas Partey – when Ayew was sent off for a lunge on the keeper, which was confirmed by VAR.
Ghana equalized in the second half with Richmond Boakye and Alexander Djiku, but Comoros’ Ahmed Mogni scored his second goal of the game with five minutes remaining to seal a memorable victory.
Ghana, the four-time winner, finishes bottom of Group C and is eliminated from the AFCON at the group stage for the first time in 16 years.
2006 – Ghana have failed to win at least one group stage game at the Africa Cup of Nations for the first time in 23 appearances. This is the first time the Black Stars have failed to get out of their AFCON group since 2006. Eliminated. #TeamGhana #AFCON2021 #GHACOM pic.twitter.com/V5NpAYv86Y
— OptaJean (@OptaJean) January 18, 2022
Partey could be eligible for Arsenal’s Premier League home match against Burnley on Sunday as a result of Ghana’s early withdrawal. If that’s the case, he won’t have missed a single league match while representing his country in the AFCON.
Meanwhile, Comoros, who joined FIFA in 2005 and are currently rated 132nd in the world, has won their inaugural AFCON tournament.
Comoros has a chance to be among the best third-place finishers, but their goal differential of minus two will almost certainly count against them.
