The Black Stars, led by Mohammed Kudus, took the lead on two occasions, but each time they were unable to maintain their advantage, with Omar Marmoush and Mohammed Mostafa scoring for the Pharaohs to level the game. With these results, Ghana's national team remains without a victory in their first two matches of the ongoing AFCON 2024. To have a chance of progressing to the knockout phase, they must secure a win in their upcoming match against Mozambique.
Here are three things we learned at the Stade Félix Houphouët Boigny.
Mohammed Kudus was unplayable
What a performance this was from Mohammed Kudus. Right from the start of the match, the young midfielder was simply unstoppable. That especially goes for his first half performance, as the West Ham looked like he could do anything he wanted. Egypt's midfielders must have felt like they were in a nightmare at some points.
Kudos pulled of dribbles and runs past his markers to constantly create problems for the opponents and crowned a wonderful performance with beautiful goals. This performance will be the one to show to everyone who think Kudus is not as good as Ghana and West Ham fans believe he is. A special day indeed!
The malaise around Black Stars' defence still exists
The Black Stars are being plagued by defensive blunders, and they’re just not going away. There’s a problem with the team’s mindset when it comes to closing out games. They have actually started their games with a good attacking intent, however, those brain fade moments they have in defence tarnish their overall results.
Against the Pharoahs, it was the same old story as Inaki Williams and his replacement Osman Bukari lost concentration that culminated in Egypt getting the equaliser on two occasions. The Black Stars players will need to be disciplined in their last game to keep their hopes alive.
Ghana now faced with a must-win game against Mozambique
With the Black Stars drawing with Egypt, the Ghanaians’ chances of advancing from the group is increasingly becoming unlikely.
Cape Verde maintains the top spot with 3 points with a game to play, with Egypt following with 2 points. With 3 points, and Mozambique with a point with a game left to play. The Black Stars will need to win their remaining game against Mozambique on Monday to have a chance of advancing to the next stage of the tournament. It looks cagey for Hughton but he’ll need to find a way to secure a win on Monday.
By: Godfred Budu Yeboah
