Ghana and Ivory Coast, who are hosting the Africa Cup of Nations, are on the verge of being eliminated from the tournament following their disappointing performances in the last group matches.

Andre Ayew, the captain of the Ghana national football team, expressed his disappointment following their draw against Mozambique in the Africa Cup of Nations (CAN) 2024 group B match. The game took place at the Alassane Ouattara Olympic Stadium in Ebimpe, Abidjan on January 22, 2024.

Ghana, a four-time winner of the tournament, seemed to be cruising towards victory with a 2-0 lead heading into injury time. However, Mozambique staged a remarkable comeback to salvage a draw. Geny Catamo converted a penalty in the 91st minute, giving the Mambas hope, and Reinildo Mandava completed the comeback by equalizing just three minutes later.

Despite the draw, Mozambique remains at the bottom of Group B. On the other hand, Ghana now faces an uphill battle to avoid elimination in the group stage for the second consecutive tournament. Chris Hughton, the head coach of the Ghanaian team and former Newcastle boss, took responsibility for the team’s performance, admitting that he had not done well enough in the competition.

Hughton highlighted the team’s defensive struggles, conceding two goals in each of their three matches, and their inability to put themselves in winning positions to score goals. With four teams set to qualify for the knockout stages as the best third-placed finishers in their respective groups, Ghana finds themselves behind two other countries with three points. Additionally, there are still four groups yet to conclude their matches, making the situation even more challenging for the Black Stars.

Meanwhile, the tournament hosts, Ivory Coast, also find themselves in a precarious position. They suffered a humiliating 4-0 defeat at the hands of Equatorial Guinea, who are aiming to replicate their surprising run to the semi-finals in 2015. Emilio Nsue’s brace, along with goals from Pablo Ganet and Yannick Buyla, sealed the victory for Equatorial Guinea.

Ivory Coast, who have now lost two consecutive matches and have three points from three games, were met with boos from the crowd as they left the field. Their hopes of progressing to the round-of-16 now rely on other teams’ results. If they fail to advance, Jean-Louis Gasset’s side will join Gabon as the only host nations in the last 30 years to be eliminated before the knockout stages.

The Africa Cup of Nations continues to provide thrilling matches and unexpected results, leaving fans eagerly anticipating the conclusion of the group stage and the start of the knockout rounds.