Ghana's national football team, the Black Stars, suffered a second consecutive defeat in the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers, losing 4-2 to The Gambia at the Accra Sports Stadium on September 29, 2026. The team, led by coach Carlos Queiroz, was seeking to bounce back from their 2-0 defeat by Côte d’Ivoire in their opening Group C fixture. The Gambia's victory was a significant upset, with Ghana dominating possession but struggling to create clear-cut opportunities.
The match started brightly for Ghana, with the home team controlling possession during the opening stages. However, they struggled to create scoring chances, while The Gambia produced the first real threat in the 12th minute when a shot from the edge of the box failed to trouble Ghanaian goalkeeper Benjamin Asare. Ghana's Felix Afena-Gyan came close to opening the scoring, but his effort was deflected behind for a corner. The hosts were then awarded a penalty after Jerome Opoku was brought down inside the Gambian penalty area.
Ernest Nuamah stepped up and calmly converted the penalty in the 27th minute to give Ghana the lead. The Black Stars continued to control possession and appeared comfortable, but The Gambia almost levelled three minutes later when Opoku produced an important block to deny the visitors. Ghana responded with a quick counter-attack and won a free-kick after Afena-Gyan was fouled on the edge of the penalty area. Afena-Gyan took responsibility and curled the resulting free-kick into the net to put Ghana 2-0 up.
However, The Gambia responded immediately, with Gideon Mensah conceding a penalty after bringing down an opponent inside the box. Muhammed Badamosi converted in the 37th minute to reduce the deficit. The goal gave The Gambia renewed confidence, and they completed a remarkable comeback before half-time. Omar Colley equalised in the 42nd minute as Ghana’s defence struggled to deal with the visitors’ pressure. The teams went into the break level at 2-2.
Coach Queiroz made two changes at half-time, bringing on Benjamin Tetteh for Brandon Thomas-Asante and Ibrahim Sulemana for Kwasi Sibo. Ghana resumed on the front foot and continued to see more of the ball, but they struggled to turn their possession into clear chances. Nuamah went close to restoring Ghana’s lead, but his effort drifted wide. The Gambia then punished another defensive mistake in the 68th minute, with a poor clearance by Mensah presenting Ebrima Colley with an opportunity.
Ebrima Colley made no mistake to put the visitors 3-2 ahead. Ghana pushed forward in search of an equaliser, and Nuamah came close again in the 79th minute, but his powerful effort failed to beat the Gambian defence. The Black Stars dominated possession and piled on the pressure during the closing stages, but they were unable to find a way through. Instead, The Gambia put the result beyond doubt deep into stoppage time when Ebrima Colley completed the scoring with a well-worked finish.
The 4-2 defeat leaves Ghana bottom of Group C without a point after two matches, having conceded six goals in the process. This is the first time the Black Stars have conceded four goals against an opposition in an Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifier. The Black Stars will now regroup next month for a double-header against Somalia as they look to revive their hopes of qualifying for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations.
Key points
- Ghana conceded six goals in two matches in the 2027 AFCON qualifiers.
- The Gambia secured a 4-2 victory over Ghana, their first win against the Black Stars in an AFCON qualifier.
- Ghana's coach, Carlos Queiroz, made several changes to his starting XI for the match against The Gambia.
