By Evans Worlanyo Ameamu
Keta (V/R), Sept. 25, GNA-Ghanaian football fans at Keta in the Volta Region, have expressed confidence that the Black Stars would bounce back to secure qualification to the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) despite the team’s 2-0 defeat to Ivory Coast in their opening qualifying match.
The Black Stars suffered the setback in Ivory Coast, where the host nation capitalised on home advantage to secure all three points in the Group opener of the qualifying series.
Mr Raymond Kpodovia, a fan, reacting to the result, told the Ghana News Agency, that though disappointing, it was not enough to dampen the belief in the team’s chances of making it to the 2027 tournament.
“The Black Stars had shown character in patches of the game despite the absent of our big players who opted out due to various injuries situations, I am optimistic that the team will learn from the loss and come back stronger in subsequent matches on Tuesday again Somalia,” he said.
Mr Kpodovia said many fans were looking forward to the team’s next qualifier against Somalia, scheduled for September 30, at the Accra Sports Stadium, which would be a must-win game for Ghana to grab the three maximum points.
He emphasised that a home victory over Somalia would go a long way to boost the confidence of the players and put the team back on track in the qualifying campaign.
He noted that Black Stars find themselves in a group made up of Ivory Coast, The Gambia and Somalia, and argued that the composition of the group leaves the Black Stars with no excuse not to qualify for the 2027 AFCON.
“On paper, Black Stars remain one of the strongest teams in the group and should be able to recover from the opening loss to finish among the top 2 qualifying positions.
The performance of the players was not bad at all despite some little lapses; the officiating was not good enough because that second goal Ivory Coast scored was not penalty.”
He called on the technical handlers of the Black Stars to identify the lapses that led to the defeat in Ivory Coast and make the necessary corrections ahead of the Somalia clash.
Some other fans have also appealed to other Ghanaians across the country to throng the Accra Sports Stadium in their numbers to cheer the team to victory in the upcoming fixture to boost the morale of the players for victory.
They said the passionate home support has historically played a key role in lifting the Black Stars during difficult periods and expressed hope that a similar atmosphere would inspire the team against Somalia.
They believed that despite the opening-day defeat to Ivory Coast, the team would regroup and bounce back and pick victory over their opponents for the 2027 AFCON qualification and delivers positive results in the remaining group matches.
Ivory Coast lead group C table with 3 points, Gambia and Somalia, occupying second and third place respectively with zero points each, while Ghana has zero point at the bottom of the table with negative 2 goals.
Gambia would host Somalia on September 25, in other group C fixtures at 1600 hours.
GNA
Edited by Maxwell Awumah /Kenneth Odeng Adade