Mozambique scored two stoppage-time penalties to sensationally salvage a 2-2 draw against Ghana at the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations on Tuesday morning.
The Black Stars looked set to pick up their first Group B win after Jordan Ayew netted two first-half spot kicks following fouls on Joseph Painstil and Mohammed Kudus.
But Mozambique launched a remarkable late fightback after Andre Ayew gave away a penalty converted by Geny Catamo in the 90th minute.
With the final action of a dramatic match, Reinildo Mandava then slammed in a second penalty to steal a point amid unbelievable scenes.
The astonishing comeback leaves the Black Stars still searching for their first victory at AFCON 2023 after three matches.
Mozambique at least claimed their first point but both sides have exited at the group stage along with Gabon.
The Black Stars needed a win to progress but were undone by an incredible 23-minute Mozambican barrage in the dying moments.
The Ghanaian side had impressed for long spells but crumbled under pressure right at the death to put them on the brink of an early exit from the tournament in miserable fashion.
After dominating much of the match, careless defending ultimately proved Ghana’s undoing as Mozambique snatched a thrilling point.
With two points, Ghana now have a slim chance to progress to the knockout round of the TotalEnergies CAF AFCON Côte d’lvoire 2023.
Chiquinho Conde, Mozambique coach
My players have very good qualities, we must congratulate them, also congratulate the people of Mozambique, we played for the people. We did not have victory but we were impressive.
In the future, we will take into account all aspects in the preparation. It is a pain not to be able to continue but I was able to transmit strength into my players.
Chris Hughton – Ghana coach
In three matches we have two points with a lot of energy spent. We were in a position where you had to score three goals to be safe. We lost concentration. It’s very difficult when you hold a two-goal lead and get caught up in a few minutes.
We haven’t been as good as we would have hoped. We lost a lot of points. We we put ourselves in a good position to win but we were caught. I take the responsibility.
