ESSIPONG — Four-time African champions Ghana secured a vital 2-0 victory over Somalia in Essipong on Thursday, snapping a protracted 37-month winless streak in Africa Cup of Nations qualifying matches. The long-awaited triumph injected much-needed momentum into the Black Stars’ campaign under acting coach Kim Lars Bjorkegren, who stepped up from his role leading the women’s national team following recent losses in Group C.
The breakthrough arrived in the second minute of first-half stoppage time when German second-tier club VfL Wolfsburg defender Adjei Adjetey capitalized on defensive lapses to head home his debut international goal following a corner kick. Turkey-based forward Felix Afena-Gyan sealed the result in the 62nd minute, netting a low shot that slipped under the body of 20-year-old Somali goalkeeper Ibrahim Hussein—who earlier had successfully blocked a penalty kick taken by veteran Ghana captain Jordan Ayew.
Despite claiming their first three points in Group C, the unconvincing performance against the world 200th-ranked side highlighted ongoing rebuilding challenges for the Black Stars. Somalia, forced to cede home-field hosting rights, will meet Ghana again on Monday in a reverse fixture that offers the four-time continental champions a strong opportunity to secure consecutive victories. With Ivory Coast leading the group on nine points following a 2-1 win over Gambia in Bouake, Ghana sits third behind Gambia as they target a top-two qualifying finish ahead of remaining fixtures against the Ivorians and Gambians next March.
Across other continental qualifying groups, Equatorial Guinea and Zimbabwe played out a scoreless 0-0 draw in Yaounde, Cameroon, a venue utilized due to the absence of CAF-approved stadiums in Equatorial Guinea eleven years after they hosted the 2015 tournament. The central African side played without regular goalkeeper Jesus Owono, who is weighing his playing future following a tragic on-field collision in Spain that resulted in the passing of forward Jesus de Miguel. In Group E, the Democratic Republic of Congo maintained a flawless record by defeating Sierra Leone 3-1 in Kinshasa, propelled by an early strike from Newcastle United forward Yoane Wissa.
Meanwhile, defending champions Senegal delivered a commanding 4-1 victory over Sudan in Dakar to take charge of Group J, featuring an opening goal from Aston Villa forward Nicolas Jackson. The fixture arrives as the Senegalese Football Federation awaits a definitive ruling this month from the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Switzerland regarding the disputed outcome of the previous tournament’s final against Morocco.
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