Ghana failed to hold on to their lead twice as they drew 2-2 draw Egypt in their second group B match at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) to put their campaign in jeopardy.
Ghana led twice through West Ham winger Mohammed Kudus, who scored in both halves, but sloppy defending allowed Egypt, who finished the game without their star Mohammed Salah due to injury before the first-half break, to come from behind and force a draw.
Omar Marmoush and Mostafa Mohammed scored important goals for the Pharaohs.
After missing Black Star’s 2-1 loss to Cape Verde in their opening match due to an injury, Kudus was impressive and put in a man-of-the-match performance.
He, however, expressed his disappointment with his team for failing to hold to their lead twice.
“It’s a mixed feeling. As a forward, you want your goals to have an impact on the result,” he said. “We made careless mistakes. Now we will have to get back to work, win the next one and then see what happens.”
Can Ghana advance to the next round?
Kudus remains optimistic that Ghana can win the AFCON.
“I’m happy to be back. I worked so hard to get back to the top and help my team and my nation. It’s important for me to be here. We are not out. The objective remains the same, which is to take the trophy home,” he said.
The 23-year-old has been in electric form for West Ham United, scoring six goals and providing one assist in 16 Premier League games.
He has scored a total of ten goals across all competitions for the English club since his move from Ajax last summer.
Ghana, who are at the bottom of Group B with just one point, will face Mozambique in a must-win encounter on Monday next week.
