2027 AFCON Qualifiers: ‘I have never seen a Black Stars performance this poor’ – Nii Lante Vanderpuye after The Gambia thrashing

Former Sports Minister Edwin Nii Lante Vanderpuye says he has never seen a Black Stars performance as poor as Ghana's display in their 4-2 defeat by The Gambia in the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.

Ghana suffered a second successive defeat in Group C on Tuesday after surrendering a two-goal lead against The Gambia at the Accra Sports Stadium.

The Black Stars had opened their qualifying campaign with a 2-0 defeat by Ivory Coast last Thursday and are now without a point from their first two matches.

Vanderpuye, speaking on Joy FM, was highly critical of Ghana's performance against The Gambia, saying it was the worst he had witnessed during his years of following the national team.

"In all my years watching football on television in the 70s, going to the stadium as a spectator in the 80s and working as a commentator and in management in the 90s, I have never seen a Black Stars performance as poor as we saw in the game against The Gambia," he said.

The former minister questioned how Ghana allowed the match to slip away after taking a 2-0 lead.

"I don't know [where we got it wrong]. These are the things we talked about even before the World Cup; these are the issues we raised, but people sometimes think we are being overly critical of the team," Vanderpuye added.

The defeat leaves Ghana bottom of Group C with no points from their opening two matches, placing added pressure on Carlos Queiroz and his players to revive their qualification campaign.

The Black Stars must now recover quickly if they are to secure a place at the 2027 AFCON in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania.

Ghana will return to action in October with a double-header against Somalia, with both matches scheduled to take place at the Accra Sports Stadium.

The Black Stars are attempting to return to the continental tournament after missing the 2025 AFCON in Morocco.