September 7, (THEWILL) – The Ghana national football team earned a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Central African Republic on Thursday evening, to clinch a spot in the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations tournament.
Playing at home in Kumasi, Ghana faced early pressure from the visitors, who took the lead midway through the first half courtesy of a goal from Louis Mafouta. The Black Stars responded positively before the break, however, and equalised just before half-time through a Mohammed Kudus free kick.
The two teams remained deadlocked at 1-1 for much of the second half until the late stages, when substitute Ernest Nuamah pounced on a mistake to tap in the winner in the 88th minute. It ensures Ghana finish top of their qualifying group with an unassailable 12 points. They will now look ahead to the continental finals set to take place in early 2024.
Joining them with automatic qualification is Angola, who played to a 0-0 draw with Madagascar in their concurrent match. For Central African Republic, the loss ends their chances to reach the tournament. They gave Ghana a stern test for long stretches but ultimately could not hold on, missing out on a potential upset. Ghana will be relieved to qualify after encountering more difficulty than expected.
The match saw strong performances from Kudus and Antoine Semenyo for the hosts, while Mafouta and Christopher Youga stood out for the visitors. In the end, Ghana’s superiority and home venue advantage proved decisive as they did enough to achieve their objective.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
