Ghanaian media diagnosis nightmare at Accra Sports Stadium
Ghana’s 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign has gone from a difficult start to an alarming one.
Five days after suffering a 2-0 defeat to Côte d’Ivoire in Bouaké, the Black Stars returned home needing a response against Gambia but instead endured an even more damaging evening, losing 4-2 at the Accra Sports Stadium.
The defeat leaves Carlos Queiroz’s side without a point after their opening two qualifiers and extends Ghana’s winless run in Afcon qualifying to eight matches.
More worryingly, a team attempting to rebuild after missing the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations has begun another qualifying campaign with consecutive defeats.
Here are five things we learned from a chastening evening for the Black Stars.
1. A defensive collapse of historic proportions
For all the difficult nights Ghana have endured in Africa Cup of Nations qualifying, this was uncharted territory. For the first time in their AFCON qualifying history, the Black Stars conceded four goals in a single match.
In fact, before Gambia’s four-goal haul in Accra, you had to go back more than half a century to find the last time Ghana conceded even three goals in an AFCON qualifier. That came in April 1975, when the Black Stars suffered a 3-1 defeat away to Mali during qualification for the 1976 Africa Cup of Nations.
More than 51 years later, Gambia went one better. The worrying aspect was not simply the number of goals conceded, but the manner in which Ghana were repeatedly exposed. The absence of Alexander Djiku undoubtedly robbed the backline of experience, but conceding four goals at home cannot simply be explained by the absence of one defender.
There were individual mistakes, lapses in concentration and moments when Gambia were afforded far too much space to punish Ghana. Ghana did not concede more than two goals in any of their six qualifiers for the 2025 AFCON. Two games into this campaign, they have already shipped six.
This was not merely a bad defensive performance. Statistically, it was an unprecedented one.
2. Ghana’s Afcon dream already in serious jeopardy
Two games. Two defeats. Six goals conceded. Zero points. There is still plenty of football to be played, but Ghana have already left themselves with considerable work to do if they are to reach the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations.
The concern becomes even greater when this campaign is viewed alongside the last one. Ghana failed to win any of their six qualifiers on the road to AFCON 2025, ultimately missing the tournament for the first time since 2004.
Add defeats to Côte d’Ivoire and Gambia and the Black Stars have now gone eight consecutive Afcon qualifying matches without a victory. Carlos Queiroz was appointed to begin a new chapter, but the scars of the previous campaign have not disappeared.
Qualification is not mathematically beyond Ghana, but beginning with zero points from six available has significantly reduced the room for further mistakes. For a country that has appeared at 24 Africa Cup of Nations tournaments and won the competition four times, the prospect of missing consecutive editions is quickly becoming more than a distant concern.
The remaining qualifiers have already taken on enormous importance.
3. Kwasi Sibo’s starting place must come under scrutiny
There is no doubting Kwasi Sibo’s commitment, but after Ghana’s opening two qualifiers, questions have to be asked about what his presence in midfield gives the team.
Sibo’s limitations in possession are increasingly difficult to ignore. His passing can be conservative and he does not consistently provide the progression Ghana need from the middle of the pitch. Those shortcomings can be accommodated if his defensive contribution is exceptional enough to compensate.
At the moment, it isn’t. Against both Côte d’Ivoire and Gambia, Ghana needed greater control in midfield, particularly when attempting to build attacks and play through pressure. Instead, too many passages became predictable and the Black Stars struggled to dictate games from the centre.
Queiroz clearly values what Sibo brings, having trusted him from the start in both qualifiers, but Ghana have alternatives in midfield. If the Black Stars are going to dominate opponents, particularly at home, they need midfielders capable of receiving under pressure, progressing the ball and consistently connecting defence with attack.
After two defeats, Sibo’s position as a starter deserves serious examination.
4. A day to forget for captain Gideon Mensah
With Djiku unavailable, Gideon Mensah was handed the responsibility of captaining Ghana. It should have been an opportunity for one of the more experienced members of this new-look Black Stars side to lead by example.
Instead, it became an evening he will want to forget quickly. Mensah conceded the penalty that allowed Gambia to punish Ghana and was again found wanting for the visitors’ third goal, caught napping at a crucial moment.
Those errors were particularly costly because they came from the player wearing the armband on a day when Ghana’s defence desperately needed leadership and composure. Mensah has accumulated significant international experience and has generally been a dependable option at left-back, but this was one of his more difficult outings in a Black Stars shirt.
It would be unfair to place the responsibility for a four-goal collapse entirely on one defender. Ghana’s problems extended across the defensive unit and into midfield. But the captaincy placed greater responsibility on Mensah’s shoulders and, on this occasion, his performance reflected the uncertainty that engulfed the entire backline.
5. Afena-Gyan provides a rare bright spot
Amid the defensive chaos and another damaging result, Felix Afena-Gyan provided Ghana with something positive. His superbly taken free-kick was the standout moment, but his contribution extended beyond the goal.
Afena-Gyan carried a threat, played with urgency and repeatedly looked capable of unsettling the Gambian defence. That matters for a Ghana team that has struggled badly for attacking inspiration.
The 23-year-old has endured an inconsistent journey with the national team since bursting onto the scene, but this was a reminder of the qualities that made him such an exciting prospect in the first place. His pace, directness and willingness to attack defenders gave Ghana an outlet that has often been missing.
One performance will not solve the Black Stars’ attacking problems, particularly on a night when the team scored twice and still walked away empty-handed. But Afena-Gyan took his opportunity.
On an evening when very little went right for Ghana, his performance was one of the few positives Queiroz could take away. And as the coach searches for answers following a disastrous start to Afcon qualifying, Afena-Gyan has strengthened his case for a more prominent role going forward.
3NEWS.COM, Accra