CHAN 2020Q: Ghana fall 1-0 at home to Burkina Faso
The Black Stars 'B' slumped to defeat with the last kick of the game.
Burkina Faso scored in stoppage time to secure a shock 1-0 win away to Ghana in the CHAN 2020 final qualifying round first-leg on Sunday.
The home-based Black Stars, hosting the Local Stallions at the Baba Yara Stadium – a side which denied them a place in the last tournament two years ago – hoped to gain a healthy lead but failed to show up especially in the first half.
Midfielder Appiah McCarthy often gave the ball away while winger Emmanuel Gyamfi found himself isolated and wanting on the left flank. Both were eventually replaced after the break.
Ghana looked better in the second half and chased the opener but were quite wasteful in the final third.
Burkina Faso, on the other hand, set out to be defensive from start and played with well-rehearsed lines.
The match remained scoreless until the fifth minute of stoppage time, when William Yannick Pognongo – in a rare dangerous attacking move by Burkina Faso – delivered an excellent hit past goalkeeper Felix Annan.
Ghana will have to overturn the 1-0 deficit in the second leg set for Stade du 4 Août in Ouagadougou on October 20. The aggregate winner qualifies for the 2020 CHAN tournament to be hosted by Cameroon.
Next on the bill for coach Maxwell Konadu’s Black Stars ‘B’ is the 2019 Wafu Cup of Nations which kicks off September 28 in Senegal.
Defending champions Ghana are scheduled to take on The Gambia on Tuesday, October 1. Kickoff is at 15:00 GMT.
