The Black Stars of Ghana started their campaign to the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifier with a performance many believe was ‘beautifully played’ but ended up been trashed by Ivory Coast who turned on the heat positively on Thursday netting a 2-0 victory over Ghana to kick off action in Group C at the Stade de la Paix in Bouaké.

The news of Carlos Queiroz’s call-ups already gave fans a sense of dissatisfaction following the withdrawal by some players including Thomas Partey, Jordan Ayew, Mohammed Kudus and Antoine Semenyo due to a multitude of injuries. This lead to quite a changed squad with some new faces getting their chance to play for the Ghana national team.

Ivory Coast, on the other hand, lined up an array of key players who tormented their opponent right from the blast of the whistle, earning a 2-0 victory after full time. The Elephants dominated the entire first half, controlling the middle of the park as well as the flanks, a situation that made life difficult for Ghana’s defenders.

The Black Stars showed flashes of their quality with occasional counter-attacking breaks on the wings with Ernest Nuamah, Fatawu Issahaku and Christopher Bonsu Baah but lacked the finishing touch.

With just one minute to go for the half-time break, the hosts took the lead through a stunning effort from Brighton and Hove Albion prodigy Malick Junior Yalcouyé. The 20-year-old made a solo run from the midfield and met little opposition before smashing a long range effort from outside the area to beat Lawrence Ati-Zigi in post for Ghana.

Back from recess, the Ivorians continued their dominance with Yalcouyé forcing a penalty in the 54th minute when Fatawu Issahaku shoved the Brighton star off the ball in the Ghanaian penalty area. Veteran midfielder Franck Kessié elected to take and made no mistake for Ivory Coast’s second goal of the evening.

The Black Stars looked lost on the pitch with series of lost possessions but managed to keep the tally at 2-0 against a more resilient Cote d’Ivoire who looked composed from start to finish.

As fans fume and look to a better result, Ghana will return to Accra to host The Gambia on Tuesday before Somalia host Ivory Coast at the same venue later that day. This will be another test for the Black Stars and their journey to the AFCON.