Abidjan (AFP) – On the second exciting day of the African Cup, Ghana lost on Sunday in the final minutes to Cape Verde 2-1, while Egyptian star Mohamed Salah saved a draw with a penalty kick “at the max” against Mozambique (2-2). Nigeria tied with Equatorial Guinea 1-1.
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In Abidjan, Cape Verde took first place in Group B thanks to a goal scored by Gary Rodriguez in the 90+2 minute, taking advantage of the poor start of goalkeeper Richard Ofori, who had previously made many decisive saves for his team.
The Blue Sharks deserved the win, as they dominated most of the match against a higher-ranking opponent.
Cape Verde took the lead with goals from Jamiro Montero (17) and Alexandre Dzeko (56), to equalize with the Black Stars.
In the final minutes, Andre Ayew came on for Ghana, who moved closer to the record number of appearances in the Africa Cup of Nations with their 35th appearance, leaving them one point behind former Cameroon captain Rigobert Song, the coach of the Indomitable Lions.
In its next match, Ghana will face Egypt, the favorite in Group Two, on Thursday, in an almost dangerous situation on the second day.
The Pharaohs entered the tournament saved thanks to Salah's goal (90+6). They took the lead in the second minute with a goal by Mustafa Mohamed.
Whitty (55) and Clecio Pauke (58) equalized the score in favor of the Mamba in the second half.
They were very close to achieving their first win in the Africa Cup, but they continued their streak of 13 matches without a win in the competition.
Finally, Nigeria, led by Victor Osheim, one of the candidates for the title, achieved the first surprise in the competition by not converting a draw into a goal against Equatorial Guinea, in the first group match, which was also held in Abidjan.
It was precisely the star Napoli striker who saved the “Eagles” by equalizing the score just two minutes after Eban Salvador scored for Equatorial Guinea in the 36th minute.
The Nigerians (winners of the tournament in 1980, 1994 and 2013) dominated and created many chances to win, but they did not put a single shot into the goal defended by Jesus Awono.
In this first group of the African Nations Championship, Ivory Coast leads with 3 points after defeating Guinea-Bissau 2-0 on Saturday in the opening match.
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