Egypt vs Ghana 2-2: 2023 Africa Cup of Nations football – as it happened
All the updates as Egypt draw with Ghana in their second match of AFCON 2023 in Abidjan, Ivory Coast.
This blog is now closed. Thanks for joining us. These were the updates as Egypt and Ghana drew 2-2 in the Africa Cup of Nations on Thursday, January 18, 2024:
This blog is now closed. Thanks for joining us. These were the updates as Egypt and Ghana drew 2-2 in the Africa Cup of Nations on Thursday, January 18, 2024:
- Egypt and Ghana drew 2-2 in their AFCON 2023 Group B match at the Felix Houphouet Boigny stadium in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, with Egyptian star Mohamed Salah going off injured in the first half.
- Mohammed Kudus scored a brace but Ghana twice let the lead slip.
- Egypt were held to a draw in their opening match by Mozambique, while Ghana suffered a shock defeat by Cape Verde in their first game.
- The Pharaohs, led by their talismanic captain Salah, are among the favourites to lift the trophy on February 11.
- Live updates
- Match stats
- Lineups
That’s all from us tonight
Thank you for tuning in. We’ll be back tomorrow for more AFCON coverage!
Kudus is unsurprisingly the MOTM
🇬🇭 Mohamed Kudus 🇬🇭
Ghana's starboy is your TotalEnergies Man of the Match with a great brace! 🌟 #TotalEnergiesAFCON2023 | #EGYGHA | @Football2Gether pic.twitter.com/v4f21Wndt8
— CAF (@CAF_Online) January 18, 2024
Seven minutes of madness
Strange little game tonight. Blink and you would have missed all the action. Salah’s injury and the Kudus opener took place within minutes of each other. In the second half, three goals were scored in the space of five minutes.
Barring these seven minutes across both halves, the game was largely dire and lacking in quality. It wasn’t a slow burn. It was just one that flickered on a couple of occasions.
With all that being said, what a seven minutes they were!
Here’s a stat for you
Ghana are winless in their last six AFCON group games.
How does this game leave things in the group?
Cape Verde – yes, Cape Verde – are the only side to have won in Group B and are top of the table with three points.
Egypt are in second followed by Mozambique, while Ghana are rooted at the bottom.
Did Egypt improve after Salah went off?
It’s a cheap thing to say, but it feels like Egypt have been better without Salah?
— Maher Mezahi (@MezahiMaher) January 18, 2024
Full-time!
All over at the Felix Houphouet Boigny Stadium, with Egypt and Ghana sharing the points.
FT: Egypt 2-2 Ghana
Ashour’s shot is saved
Egypt work it well into the box and Ashour cuts in on his right and shoots, but his shot is tame and straight into Ofori’s hands. Ghana break down the other end and win a corner.
Baba finds himself in space but mistimes his jump and is unable to make contact. It’s the last action of the game.
90+6 mins: Egypt 2-2 Ghana
Subs for both teams
Bukari, who only came on in the 73rd minute, is subbed off for Owusu.
Attia comes in place of Marmoush for Egypt.
Seven minutes of added time to come.
90 mins: Egypt 2-2 Ghana
Marmoush goes close
The left winger has been relentless in the second half and he goes close to giving Egypt the lead for the first time in the game with a powerful shot from the edge of the box, but it goes wide. Wasn’t too far, that one.
88 mins: Egypt 2-2 Ghana
Egypt pushing on
Ashour makes a darting run into the box but he’s muscled off the ball. Egypt want a penalty but the referee shrugs off their protests.
85 mins: Egypt 2-2 Ghana
AFCON at its finest
AFCON is the gift that keeps on giving
— Alasdair Howorth (@ahoworth97) January 18, 2024
Three goals in five minutes!
Chris Houghton’s hands are on his hips. Ghana have gifted Egypt a way back into the game twice. Both mistakes seemed borne out of complacency. Williams’s back-pass was lazy and Bukari’s dithering on the ball was similarly sloppy.
Can Kudus do it for them again?
81 mins: Egypt 2-2 Ghana
GOAL!
Mohamed equalises!
Ghana have again gifted Egypt a goal. Trezeguet steals the ball off an idling Bukari in the box and squares for Mohamed to poke in from close range.
WHAT IS HAPPENING IN ABIDJAN!
74 mins: Egypt 2-2 Ghana
GOAL!
Kudus puts Ghana back in front!
Ghana aren’t behind for long. Odoi’s smart pass from the right finds Kudus in the corner of the box. He shuffles the ball onto his left and curls a shot that takes a slight deflection and goes in.
What a game of football.
71 mins: Egypt 1-2 Ghana
GOAL!
Marmoush equalises for Egypt!
Inaki Williams receives the ball deep in his half and his back-pass is weak – Marmoush jumps onto it, rounds the keeper and calmly slots home.
69 mins: Egypt 1-1 Ghana
Change for Egypt
Trezeguet is on for Elneny.
69 mins: Egypt 0-1 Ghana
Semenyo’s shot is easily saved
Kudus outmuscles Elneny and sets Semenyo free down the right, but the Bournemouth winger isn’t able to get any power behind his shot after cutting back on his left.
Ghana have set themselves up on the counter. If they are to get a second, it’s going to come from a quick break.
67 mins: Egypt 0-1 Ghana
Mamoush shoots over
Kudus was weaving circles around Egyptian defenders moments ago, but the ball is won back and worked quickly to Marmoush. The Frankfurt forward gallops into the box and cuts in to unleash a shot that flies over the goal.
65 mins: Egypt 0-1 Ghana
Fair to say, Ghana fans are enjoying this Kudus performance
KUDUS IS THE GREATEST ATTACKING PLAYER GHANA HAS MADE IN A GENERATION.
— Carl Anka 🇬🇭 (@Ankaman616) January 18, 2024
Change for Ghana
Baba is on, Ashimeru is off.
62 mins: Egypt 0-1 Ghana
Ghana are sitting back
Not sure if that’s the best strategy here. Egypt have more of the ball and have looked more threatening in the last 10 minutes than they did in all of the first half. Marmoush and Fathi are finding space and creating issues for the Ghanaian backline.
58 mins: Egypt 0-1 Ghana
Egypt goal disallowed
Mohamed Abdel Monem’s close-range finish is ruled out for offside. A free kick from deep was headed across goal by Hegazi, and amid the helter-skelter of limbs, the ball fell to Monem who put it in. But the linesman almost immediately called for offside and VAR stood by his decision.
55 mins: Egypt 0-1 Ghana
VAR check on
Egypt have the goal in the back of the net, but it’s been ruled out for offside. VAR is taking a look.
52 mins: Egypt 0-1 Ghana
Kudus nearly has his second
Ayew’s corner is cleared at the near post and the ball falls to Kudus on the edge of the box, who volleys it into the ground. The shot is well directed, but Kudus is off balance as he hits it and the ball hits the roof of the goal.
50 mins: Egypt 0-0 Ghana