Cape Verde showed a lot of resilience on Sunday night to defeat Ghana 2-1 in the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) tournament.
The two national teams locked horns at the Stade Felix Houphouet-Boigny in Abidjan today to play their first game in Group B.
Despite a good showing from Ghana in early minutes of the first half, Cape Verde quickly took control of the game and threatened on so many occasions before opening the scoring in the 17th minute.
A strike from Jamiro Monteiro after Ghana goalkeeper Richard Ofori had parried a shot in his way broke the deadlock of the contest.
The Black Stars improved after conceding but a thunderbolt strike from midfielder Majeed Ashimeru that found the back of the Cape Verde net was chalked off by the referee and deemed illegal.
After recess, the Black Stars put up a good fight and managed to restore parity through a strike from defender Alexander Djiku.
While the game appeared to be set to end in a stalemate, substitute Garry Rodrigues equalised in injury time to break Ghanaian hearts and win the game for Cape Verde.
Up next for Ghana, the Black Stars will take on the Pharaohs of Egypt on Thursday, January 18.