2028 Olympic Games Qualifiers: 10-man Ghana suffer late defeat to Libya in Benghazi

Ghana's Black Meteors suffered a 1-0 defeat to Libya in the first leg of their 2027 CAF U-23 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier in Benghazi on Wednesday.

The result leaves the Black Meteors needing a victory in next week's return fixture to keep their qualification hopes alive.

Ghana endured a difficult evening at the Martyrs of Benina Stadium after defender Antwi Dacosta was sent off in the second half.

Dacosta received a second yellow card following an aerial challenge in which he was adjudged to have elbowed an opponent, leaving Desmond Ofei's side with 10 men for the remainder of the contest.

Libya took advantage of their numerical superiority to secure victory through Malik Binismaeil, who scored five minutes before the end of regulation time.

The winning goal came after Ghana goalkeeper Gidios Aseako failed to hold a shot directed towards him, spilling the ball into his own net.

The late goal compounded Ghana's frustrations, with head coach Desmond Ofei visibly unhappy with some of the officiating decisions during the encounter.

The Black Meteors must now overturn the one-goal deficit when the two sides meet in the second leg on Tuesday, November 17, 2026, at the Accra Sports Stadium.

Ghana will be hoping to progress in their quest to qualify for the 2027 U-23 AFCON, while also targeting a return to men's football at the Olympic Games for the first time since Athens 2004.

A successful qualification campaign would also put the team on course to compete at the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.