Ghana’s 2019 Under-23 Africa Cup of Nations bid suffered a minor setback Friday when the Black Meteors were held to a 1-1 at home in the first leg of the final qualifying round.
Zorgane Adem had given the visitors the lead in the 30th minute at the Accra Sports Stadium. However, coach Ibrahim Tanko’s side were given somewhat a lifeline when striker Dauda Mohammed found the equalizer after captain Yaw Yeboah won a penalty on 65 minutes.
Ghana will have to go to Algeria and score in order to achieve their dream of first-time participation in the 8-nation tournament, something skipper Yaw Yeboah remains upbeat about.
“We didn’t lose the match; it ended in a 1-1 draw. We can also score against them in Sétif. We still have the chance to qualify,” said Yeboah who fluffed an initial penalty in the first half.
He added: “It’s not over yet. Ghanaians are expecting a lot from us. We have the quality to win against Algeria, everything happens in football.”
The second leg is scheduled to come off at Stade du 8 Mai 1945 in Sétif on Tuesday, September 10.
The winner, after the two legs, qualifies for the U-23 Afcon scheduled for November 8-22 in Egypt. The tournament will determine Africa’s three representatives for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.
