Cape Verde earned a shock win over 4-time winners Ghana as Garry Rodrigues latched onto a loose ball to secure a precious 2-1 victory in their opening group B match at the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations on Sunday.
Jamiro Monteiro put the islanders ahead in the 17th minute, as a parried shot from Ghana’s goalkeeper, Richard Ofori, fell kindly on the striker’s path who slot into an unmanned goal.
The Black Stars thought they had an equalizer in the 36th minute when Majeed Ashimeru blasted a long-range effort into the bottom corner, but a lengthy VAR check, revealed Ransford Konigsdorffer had blocked the keeper’s line of sight at an offside position.
Alexander Djiku, headed the Black stars’ leveler to cancel out Monteiro opener, and with the game set for a draw, a comedy of errors in the Ghana’s defense saw Garry Rodrigues pounce on fortuitous ball to ensure the Islanders walked away with all three points.
Despite Chris Hughton’s men’s defeat, the evening was notable for the appearance of Andre Ayew, with the 34 year old becoming the third player to feature in eight editions of the competition.
Cape Verde earned a vital three points that see them top Group B, after group rivals Egypt and Mozambique drew earlier on the day.
Cape Verde now set their sights on Mozambique in the next match.
John Njuguna
