AFCON 2023: Cape Verde stun Black Stars to blow group B wide open

A couple of hours after Mo Salah’s late penalty saved Egypt from losing to unfancied Mozambique, Cape Verde provided the first shock of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations with a last-gasp victory over the four-time champions Ghana.

Jamiro Monteiro scored the opener for Cape Verde in the 17th minute at the Stade Félix Houphouët-Boigny in Abidjan.

The strike was cancelled out early in the second-half when Alexander Djiku headed in Jordan Ayew’s corner kick.

In the first minute of stoppage-time, slapstick defending cost Ghana the match as Djiku, Mohamed Salisu and their goalkeeper Richard Ofori mangled their communication and tangled their legs to present Garry Rodrigues with an open goal.

He gleefully slotted in to spark celebrations for Cape Verde who had never beaten Ghana in a competitive match.

The victory took Cape Verde to the top of Group B with three points and a plausible chance of advancing to the knockout stages for the first time since the Cup of Nations exapnded from 16 to 24 teams in 2019.

Cape Verde will need to beat Mozambique on Thursday to progress. They, however, will face a team brimming with confidence after nearly pulling off a shock of their own.

In the end, Chiquinho Conde’s men had to settle for a 2-2 draw with the 2021 runners-up.

Salah’s spot kick in the seventh minute of stoppage time cannoned off the inside of the left hand post and into the net to salvage parity from a see-saw encounter.

The Group B fixture started in text book fashion. Salah set up a goal for co-striker Mostafa Mohamed in the second minute.