Ghana, on Thursday, played out a 1-1 draw against Egypt in their first high-profile test match ahead of the 2023 U-23 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) which gets underway next week.
Coach Ibrahim Tanko’s side last Tuesday switched base from Accra to Cairo for the final leg of preparations for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games qualifying tournament set to be staged in neighbouring Morocco.
The match at Alexandria Stadium started with the Black Meteors on the front foot. And the positive start paid off with a penalty after Fatawu Issahaku was hauled down in the Egyptian box.
Skipper Daniel Afriyie Barnieh stepped up and confidently converted the spot-kick, giving Ghana the lead within the first 10 minutes of play.
The Black Meteors appeared to be in command of the game after taking the lead, but they were unable to break through the Egyptians’ defense.
On the other side, the home team discovered gaps in half of the Ghanaians and caused them to make blunders, which resulted in a penalty.
However, Ibrahim Danlad was on hand to maintain the score at 1-0 and protect the Meteors’ advantage by saving the penalty.
In the 34th minute, the Asante Kotoko shot-stopper, nervously gave the ball away right in his box but the Egyptians failed to capitalize on the blunder.
Danlad was however not second time lucky five minutes later as the hosts found the equaliser. In an attempt to play from the back, he overhit a ball to a teammate, which was intercepted by the opposition.
Moments later, Ghana suffered another blow when, due to a reckless challenge, they were reduced to 10 men. Zubairu Ibrahim was issued a straight red card and was dissatisfied with his tackle, but it also summed up Ibrahim Tanko’s side’s effort, with the game ending 1-1 after 45 minutes.
In the second half of the game, neither team did much to upset the other, but Egypt had more possession of the ball and produced more chances. They were unable to capitalize on their advantage as they entered the final third of the pitch.
Egypt were prevented from stealing a late victory with a stop from Danlad in the 88th minute.
The Black Meteors will hope to play at least one more game before heading out for the U-23 Afcon in Morocco.
The 2023 U-23 Afcon will take place from June 24 to July 8 in Rabat and Tangier which will host Group A and B matches respectively.
Ghana will begin their campaign in Group A on Sunday, June 25, 2023 against Congo. The game will be played at Prince Moulay Abdellah Sports Complex in Rabat with kickoff at 15:00 GMT.
The Black Meteors will face the Moroccans in their second game on June 27, and then Guinea three days later to finish the group stage. Both games kick off at 20:00 GMT.
