Ghana lose 4-2 to The Gambia after leading by two goals and sit bottom of Group C

Pinned summary · as of 16:02

The Black Stars collapsed against The Gambia at the Accra Sports Stadium, losing 4-2 in a 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier after building a two-goal cushion. The result follows an opening 2-0 defeat by Côte d'Ivoire and leaves Ghana at the foot of Group C with nothing from two games.

What we know

• In Accra, The Gambia won 4-2 against Ghana in a qualifier for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations, hosted at the Accra Sports Stadium, even though the home side had been two goals up.
• Ernest Nuamah gave Ghana the lead from a 27th-minute penalty, awarded when Jerome Opoku was brought down inside the Gambian area, and Felix Afena-Gyan then added a second.
• Badamosi pulled one back for The Gambia with a penalty in the 37th minute, and the Gambians drew level before the interval.
• Queiroz reshuffled the team that lost to Côte d'Ivoire. Benjamin Asare played in goal and Jonas Adjetey took Alexander Djiku's place in defence, and Benjamin Tetteh and Ibrahim Sulemana came on as substitutes after the interval.
• Ebrima Colley scored twice for The Gambia in the second half, the second of them late in the game to fix the final score.
• Ghana have no points from two matches after that opening 2-0 loss to Côte d'Ivoire, which puts them bottom of Group C.

What's disputed / unconfirmed

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  Accounts differ on who levelled the match for The Gambia before the break. Adom Online and Kumasi Mail credit captain Omar Colley in the 42nd minute, while The Ghana Report names Ebrima Colley.
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  Reports differ on The Gambia's go-ahead goal. Adom Online has Ebrima Colley making it 3-2 in the 68th minute, following an error by Gideon Mensah, whereas The Ghana Report credits Badamosi with the goal on 71 minutes, coming off a swift break, and dates Ebrima Colley's second to the 88th.
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  Adom Online described Afena-Gyan's goal as a free-kick, whereas The Ghana Report said he struck a low shot into the bottom corner six minutes after the penalty.
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  The Ghana Report and Kumasi Mail say The Gambia now have six points from two games, Kumasi Mail adding that this includes a win over Somalia; the figure has not been confirmed by other reports.
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  Adom Online reported that Ghana have let in six goals in the group so far, that this was the first time they had conceded four to one team in a qualifier, and that Asare was making his debut. None of this has been confirmed by other reports.
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  Adom Online says Ghana face Somalia twice next month, while Kumasi Mail lists Somalia, Côte d'Ivoire and The Gambia as the remaining group opponents; the fixture details have not been confirmed.

Why it matters for Ghana

Ghana missed the previous Africa Cup of Nations, according to Adom Online, so supporters in Accra, Kumasi and beyond were hoping for a strong start to the qualifying campaign. Two defeats leave the Black Stars needing results from their remaining group games to stay in contention for a place at the tournament. The pressure now falls on Queiroz and his squad.