2023 U-23 AFCON: Ghana suffer group phase elimination as Guinea halt Olympics qualification dream

The Black Meteors of Ghana have been eliminated from the ongoing 2023 U-23 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) after a 1-1 draw against Guinea in their final Group A game on Friday night.

Ghana had a brilliant opening five minutes, dominating possession, but that quickly diminished after the five minutes.

They gave away the ball very easily and looked unaware of the task at hand as they almost gave away another cheap goal around the 26th minute.

However, Emmanuel Yeboah scored brilliantly from the right side of the box after Ghana’s real first meaningful string of passes in the 33rd minute with an assist from Fatawu Issahaku.

Despite Ghana’s lead, Guinea still looked the most dangerous side with a lot of cohesive football and threatening to level but Ghana held on to go into the break with the advantage.

After recess, Guinea deservedly got the equalizer in the 60th minute from a long-range strike by Ibrahim Fofana who converted a first-time shot from a rebound.

Ibrahim Tanko's side threw everything they had at Guinea for that elusive winner but it never came.

Not being able to reach the semifinal also means Ghana's hopes of qualifying for the 2024 Olympic Games are over.

The Black Meteors finished third in the group with 4 points behind Morocco (9 points) and Guinea (4 points).

Guinea, who have qualified on goal difference have joined Morocco from Group A to qualify for the semifinals.