Relive the moment when the clock was ticking down in Abidjan’s Alassane Ouattara Stadium, with sand cascading down from the top of an hourglass to the bottom.
Ghanaians were eagerly awaiting the final whistle; the Black Stars, who had put themselves in a precarious situation against Mozambique in the last group match of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), appeared to be playing for an eternity.
It was easy sailing for the Black Stars until extra time. They carried on with little fanfare, gaining the lead with two penalty kicks from Jordan Ayew in each half.
Mozambique had a chance to cut the score in half from the penalty spot in stoppage time when André Ayew, another player who splits opinions among Ghana’s supporters despite his undying devotion to the national team, was found to have handled the ball in the area.
About five minutes remained when Geny Catamo went up and executed his kick with elegance. What appeared to be a straightforward victory had taken a significant turn for the worse, with Ghanaian fans seemingly on tenterhooks near death, their memories of the team’s terrible history of faltering under duress still fresh in their minds.
Ghana’s backline was hearing the same directive: calm down and let’s finish the game.
After losing their opener match against Cape Verde and drawing their last match against Egypt, the Black Stars needed to win; only a victory would have assured the four-time AFCON winners a spot in the following round.
I mean, what could possibly go wrong? Richard Ofori, Ghana’s goalie, was yet to make a mistake in the game that decided the match against Mozambique. Two minutes after the half, he went down to stop Bruno Langa’s well-executed low attempt.
Ofori was flawless for most of the match, despite not being totally convincing during the competition due to pre-tournament anxiety over the goalie’s form and his involvement in Cape Verde’s victory over Ghana.
Source: Dklassgh.com