2027 AFCON Qualifiers: Fatawu Issahaku questions penalty decision in Ghana defeat to Ivory Coast

Ghana winger Fatawu Issahaku has questioned the penalty decision that helped Côte d'Ivoire secure a 2-0 victory over the Black Stars in their opening match of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.

The Black Stars began their Group C campaign with defeat on Thursday night at the Stade de Bouaké, where goals from Malick Yalcouyé and Franck Kessié handed the hosts all three points.

The game's key talking point came early in the second half when referee Boubou Traoré pointed to the spot after adjudging Issahaku to have fouled Yalcouyé inside the penalty area.

Kessié made no mistake from 12 yards, converting the penalty to double Côte d'Ivoire's lead after Yalcouyé had opened the scoring shortly before half-time.

Issahaku, however, disputed the decision and maintained that he did not make contact with the Ivorian midfielder.

"Everyone can see what happened on the field, because I was the one who went for the tackle. I didn't go to, like, kick him or anything. I went to, like, just so that he can't shoot," he told 3Sports.

"But I don't know why the referee made that decision, and I think you should do something about that because you can see clearly that I didn't touch him.

"I didn't even go to do anything. It was just to cover and everything. I don't know why the referee took the penalty, but I have nothing to say."

The decision was also criticised by Ghana head coach Carlos Queiroz, who described the award of the penalty as a "joke" in his post-match assessment.

The result leaves Ghana without a point after their opening fixture, while Côte d'Ivoire move to the top of Group C with three points.

The Black Stars will look to bounce back when they host Gambia at the Accra Sports Stadium on 29 September.