2027 AFCON Qualifiers: My comment about the mistake of the referee has nothing to do with Côte d'Ivoire - Carlos Queiroz after loss

Ghana coach Carlos Queiroz has questioned the penalty awarded to Ivory Coast in the Black Stars' 2-0 defeat in their opening match of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers.

The Black Stars, aiming to return to the continental tournament after missing out on the previous edition, suffered defeat to the Elephants at the Stade de Bouaké on Wednesday.

Brighton forward Malick Yalcouyé gave the hosts the lead before the break, and Ivory Coast doubled their advantage in the second half when captain Franck Kessié converted from the penalty spot after Abdul Fatawu Issahaku was adjudged to have fouled Yalcouyé inside the area.

Speaking after the match, Queiroz insisted his criticism of the decision was not directed at the Ivory Coast team, whom he praised for their performance.

"First of all, I would like to say in front of the people of Côte d'Ivoire that my comment about the mistake of the referee has nothing to do with Côte d'Ivoire," Queiroz said.

"It has nothing to do with the merit or the quality of the players of Côte d'Ivoire. They played, did their job and we did our job too.

"But of course, to recover from 1-0 down is completely different from recovering from 2-0 down."

The defeat extended Ghana's difficult run against their West African rivals, with the two nations once again involved in a closely contested encounter.

Queiroz pointed to the long history of tight meetings between the sides and believes the result was shaped by fine margins.

"The game was tight as always. The 16 over 15 wins show that Ghana and Côte d'Ivoire always have tight games," he said.

"But the result is now gone, it is history. For us now, it is just recovery."

The former Portugal, Iran and Egypt coach also revealed Ghana suffered an injury setback during the match but stressed that his focus has already shifted to the team's next assignment.

"We lost one player during the game, but now it's just to recover our players and be focused for the next game and win the next game at home.

"That is what we are going to do now - prepare the players as much as we can to win the next game."

The Black Stars have since returned to Ghana and will turn their attention to Tuesday's Group C clash against The Gambia, where they will be seeking their first points of the qualifying campaign.

After missing the 2025 AFCON finals, Ghana are under pressure to avoid another setback in their bid to secure a place at the 2027 tournament, with victory against the Scorpions likely to be crucial to their hopes of qualification.