The Senior Men’s National Team of Ghana, the Black Stars, keeps blurring hopes of qualifying for the 2025 African Cup of Nations after drawing 1-1 against Niger in their second qualifier match in Morocco.
The fixture ended in a 1-1 draw at the Stade Municipal de Berkane following a defining game in the second half.
A spectacular shot by Ghanaian defender Alidu Seidu found the net, breaking the deadlock in the 44th minute.
The Menas of Niger whisked away a plethora of chances in the first half despite the lapses in the defense of the Black Stars.
The Black Stars managed to keep the game composed in the second half, creating few chances, but Sako halted Ghanaians joy after equalizing for Niger out of a scramble in the 18 yard from a corner in the 81st minute.
Despite maintaining possession of 61%, completing over 460 passes, and delivering 3 shots on target, it couldn’t fetch the Black Stars 3 points at the end of the game.
There was an unqualified onus on the tipped favorites, the Black Stars, to win the match after suffering an abysmal 1-0 loss to Angola at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium in Kumasi last week, which led to fans vandalizing items, culminating in a temporary closure of the stadium.
Both sides have not had much head-to-head due to the underperformance of Niger, preventing them from featuring in competitions. In a four-game head-to-head, the Black Stars and Niger have won two games.
Niger, ranked 125th by FIFA, has not had a befitting history in football and is hence considered one of the weakest sides in West Africa, with giants like Cote’d’Ivoire, Nigeria, Burkina Faso, and Ghana, among others, holding the Sub-Saharan Fort.
Per the standings, the Black Stars still lie third on Group F, with a point and a goal to their detriment, just as Niger, who is at the bottom of the table.