By Yussif Ibrahim
Kumasi, Sept. 05, GNA – Thousands of football fans who thronged the Baba Yara Stadium to support the Black Stars in their opening match of the 2025 AFCON qualifier against the Palancas Negras of Angola, were left heartbroken as the Stars lost by a lone goal.
Red Star Belgrade midfielder, Milson scored late against the run of play to snatch the three points when everyone thought the Black Stars were getting closer to scoring the winner.
It was the first loss for the Black Stars in 24 years at the Baba Yara Stadium which has proven to be a fortress for the senior national team.
The results leave Ghana and Niger at the bottom of the table after Sudan also defeated Niger on Wednesday to top the group ahead of the Ghana-Angola encounter.
The Black Stars made their attacking intent known right from the blast of the whistle as the raided the half of the visitors in the first two minutes.
They came close to breaking the deadlock on the fourth minute when Jordan broke away from his marker and set Mohammed Kudus who was denied a goal-scoring opportunity by a timely intervention of an Angolan defender.
The Stars continued to dominate the early exchanges, keeping the ball on the turf and distributing beautiful passes to the admiration of the home fans who had filled the stadium to the brim.
The Angolans warmed themselves into the game after the first 10 minutes, hitting their first shot on target on the 13th minute from a free kick which was too feeble to beat goalkeeper Ati Zigi.
They would continue to probe for the opener, relying on long balls to the vital area of the Black Stars, keeping Abdul Mumin busy with incessant clearance.
The Palancas Negras managed to keep the attackers of the Black Stars at bay until the half hour mark when referee Samuel Uwikunda signal for water break.
Upon resumption of play, the Stars stepped up their game, making two quick incursions into the half of the Angolans, but failed to find the back of the net.
A solo effort by Kudus missed the cross bar by inches when he sent in a free kick from the right, outwitting the goal keeper who was expecting him to target his attackers.
The Ugandan referee ended proceedings after exhausting the five minutes additional time as the two teams went into the dugout with the virginity of the match still intact.
The Black Stars resumed the second half on the front foot, winning a free kick at the right side of their opponents box under one minute, but an in swinger from Kudus was well-defended.
Just 14 minutes into the half, Coach Pedro Goncalves made his first substitution, bringing on Zito Luvumbo for Randy Nteka with the intention of boosting his attack.
But it was the Stars who launched series of onslaughts in the opposition half in an attempt to break the deadlock as they raced against time to make their dominance count.
The best chance after 76 minutes came the way of Jordan Ayew who received a defence-splitting pass with only the goalkeeper to beat, but his effort was blocked.
Ati Zigi had to pull a magnificent save to deny the Angolans the opener following a quick transition that caught the Stars ball-watching.
With 10 minutes to the end of the match, Coach Otto Addo made his first substitution, bringing on Majeed Ashimeru and Joseph Panstil for Elisha Owusu and Fatawu Issahaku respectively.
Their involvement increased the pace of the Black Stars game as they kept the visitors in their own half with the entire team occasionally joining the attack.
But it was the Palancas Negras who found the back of the net against the run of play on the during stoppage time, breaking the heart of the thousands of home fans yearning for a favourable score line.
GNA