Accra-Ghana, June 28, GNA – The Black Meteors of Ghana failed to book an early semi-final ticket at the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) tournament after suffering a whopping 5-1defeat to hosts Morocco at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium on Tuesday.
The chants from the Moroccan fans before kick-off sent a signal of what they were expecting from their men who were seeking for a second consecutive victory.
Coach Ibrahim Tanko’s changes in his previous line-up could not do the magic for him this time round with the introduction of Emmanuel Yeboah, Salim Adams and Hafiz Ibrahim.
Morocco began the game on a good note, sharing passes like it was nobody’s businesses to break Ghana’s backline.
Black Meteors adopted to a defensive strategy trying to cement their lines in the early minutes of the game with some incredible clearances but was never a solution to the marauding attacks from the North Africans.
It was Amir Richardson who opened the goal scoring account of the North African side in the seventh minute with a solo chip which left Ghana’s Danlad Ibrahim in a state of confusion.
Despite being down by a goal, Black Meteors were still confident of grabbing an equalizer to get back into the game with build-up plan.
Emmanuel Yeboah nearly grabbed a goal for Ghana, but failed as he was denied by the woodworks 12 minutes on the clock.
The hosts quickly responded with a beautiful counter which saw Saibari dance through the poor defence of the visitors to double their lead a minute after.
It was a great night for the men in red and green to prove their worth against one of the continent’s best, causing problems in the Ghanaian half with their skillful and intelligent play.
Morocco increased the woes of the West African side in the 30th minute to increase their goal tally to three.
Ghana still kept their composure high in the dying minute of the first half as Salim Adams managed to give his side a 43rd minute consolation goal.
Fatawu Issahaku’s goal of the tournament contender strike was ruled out, with the first 45 minutes ending 3-1 in favour of the hosts.
After recess, Morocco came all out to torment Coach Tanko’s tactical plan with high pressing to beat Ghana’s defense once again with a 4-1 lead 48 minutes on the clock.
The introduction of Afriyie Barnieh and Emmanuel Essiam could not cause any scare as Morocco killed the game in the 53rd minute with a 5-1 lead.
The likes of Afriyie Barnieh and Ernest Nuamah tried to make an impact but failed as the clash ended 5-1 after an additional seven minutes.
Ghana still stands a chance of making it to the semi-finals with a game in hand against Group A counterparts Guinea.
