Mohammed Kudus announced his return from injury in spectacular fashion, scoring a brace on his AFCON 2023 debut to earn Man of the Match honors in Ghana’s 2-2 draw with Egypt on Thursday.
The Black Stars of Ghana and the Pharaohs of Egypt played to an entertaining 2-2 draw in their second Group B match of the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations 2023 on Thursday at the Félix Houphouët-Boigny Stadium in Abidjan.
A goals from Mohammed Kudus looked to have won the match for Ghana, but defensive errors allowed Egypt to equalize twice and claim a point.
Ghana made three change to their starting XI following their opening game loss to Cape Verde, with Kudus returning from injury to mark his debute, while Salis Abdul Samad and Inaki Williams were brought into the starting XI.
Egypt were forced into a first half substitution as superstar Mohamed Salah limped off with a thigh injury.
The match began with both teams probing cautiously, but Egypt were dealt a huge blow in the 42nd minute as Salah pulled up clutching his left thigh and was replaced by Mostafa Mohamed.
On the brink of halftime, Kudus pounced on a loose ball outside the box and fired a rocket to the left corner to put Ghana ahead.
The second half saw end-to-end action as both teams pushed for a winner. Egypt had a goal chalked off for offside after VAR review, before Omar Marmoush finally equalised in the 69th minute following a defensive mistake.
A back pass by Striker Inaki williams intended fro Goalkeeper Ofori went too feable, falling to the menacing Marmoush whp rounded the Ghana Goalkeeper to hot the ball into the net.
Kudus quickly restored Ghana’s lead after his deflected shot looped over the keeper, but more shambolic defending from Osman Bukari, allowed Mostafa Mohamed to tap in an equalizer in the 72nd minute after a cross from Trezeguet.
Ghana came close to stealing it late on through substitute Antoine Semenyo, but his shot was well saved. In the end, both teams had to settle for a point each.
Midfielder Emam Ashour nearly snatched victory for the Pharaohs at the death but his curling attempt was held well by Ghana keeper Ofori
The result leaves Ghana bottom of Group B with just 1 point, while Egypt move to second spot with 2 points behind leaders Cape Verde.
In their final group games, Ghana face Mozambique while Egypt take on Cape Verde, with qualification still up for grabs.
Both teams will need to tighten up defensively and capitalize on their attacking talent if they are to progress to the knockout stage. Thanks for the additional detail. Here is an updated extensive match report with the correct information about Ghana’s starting lineup:
