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Ghana and Nigeria suffered major setbacks in the race for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations on Tuesday, with the Black Stars surrendering a two-goal lead against The Gambia before the Super Eagles were beaten 3-0 by Guinea-Bissau.
The results were among the biggest surprises on a dramatic night of AFCON 2027 qualifying action, with several of Africa’s leading football nations also in action.
Ghana appeared to be cruising at the Accra Sports Stadium after goals from Ernest Nuamah and Felix Afena-Gyan gave the Black Stars a 2-0 advantage inside the opening 33 minutes.
But The Gambia produced a remarkable comeback to win 4-2, leaving Ghana without a point after two Group C matches.
Ghana throw away two-goal lead
Ghana took the lead in the 27th minute when Nuamah converted a penalty before Afena-Gyan doubled the advantage six minutes later.
The visitors responded almost immediately.
Muhammed Badamosi pulled one back from the penalty spot before Omar Colley equalised five minutes later, sending the teams into the interval level at 2-2.
The Gambia completed the turnaround in the second half when Ebrima Colley put the visitors ahead.
Colley then struck again in stoppage time to complete a stunning 4-2 victory in Accra.
The Gambia now have six points from their opening two matches, while Ghana have suffered consecutive defeats after beginning their campaign with a 2-0 loss to Côte d’Ivoire.
The defeat also increased the pressure surrounding Black Stars head coach Carlos Queiroz, who is yet to record a win in Ghana’s opening two AFCON qualifiers.
Nigeria stunned in Guinea-Bissau
Nigeria also endured a difficult night, suffering a 3-0 defeat to Guinea-Bissau in Bissau.
The Super Eagles entered the match with confidence after their opening 2-1 comeback victory over Madagascar, but they were comprehensively beaten by a Guinea-Bissau side that had already defeated Tanzania in their opening fixture.
Franculino Djú opened the scoring in the first half before captain Mama Baldé doubled the hosts’ advantage in the second half.
Álvaro Djaló completed the victory in stoppage time.
The result leaves Guinea-Bissau top of Group L with six points from two matches, while Nigeria remain on three points.
With Tanzania automatically qualified as one of the three co-hosts, Nigeria will now have to fight for the remaining qualifying place in Group L.
Algeria fight back against Burundi
Algeria were also given a major scare after falling 2-0 behind to Burundi within the opening 12 minutes.
The North Africans recovered to secure a 2-2 draw, with Mohamed Belloumi and Adil Boulbina finding the net to rescue a point.
The result prevented what would have been another major upset on a night that produced several surprises.
Rwanda shock Cape Verde
Rwanda continued their excellent start to the qualifying campaign by coming from behind to defeat Cape Verde 2-1 in Praia.
Cape Verde took the lead before Rwanda equalised shortly before half-time.
Teenager Elie Iradukunda Tatou then scored early in the second half to complete the comeback.
Rwanda now have six points from two matches, while Cape Verde are still searching for their first point after also losing to Mali in their opening fixture.
Egypt hit South Sudan for five
Egypt enjoyed one of the night’s biggest victories, defeating South Sudan 5-0 away from home.
With Mohamed Salah left out because of concerns over the artificial playing surface, the Pharaohs still produced a dominant performance.
Omar Marmoush scored twice, while Mostafa Zico, Ibrahim Adel and teenager Hamza Abdelkarim also found the net.
Morocco maintain winning start
Morocco continued their strong start with a 2-0 victory over Lesotho.
The match was played in Bloemfontein, South Africa, because Lesotho does not currently have a stadium meeting the required international standards.
Brahim Diaz opened the scoring shortly before half-time, while Azzedine Ounahi added the second eight minutes from full-time.
The result moved Morocco to the top of Group A.
Vieira records first Senegal win
New Senegal coach Patrick Vieira secured his first victory in charge as Senegal defeated Ethiopia 1-0.
Ibrahim Mbaye scored after 11 minutes following a pass from his Aston Villa teammate Nicolas Jackson.
The win followed Senegal’s 1-1 draw with Mozambique in Vieira’s first match in charge.
Mozambique thrash Sudan
Mozambique moved to the top of Group J on goal difference after beating Sudan 4-1 in Maputo.
Striker Chamito scored twice as Mozambique produced an emphatic home victory.
Other results
There were also victories for several other nations on a busy night of qualifying action.
- Ivory Coast 2-0 Somalia
- Zambia 2-0 Togo
- Uganda 1-0 Libya
- Benin 2-1 Mauritania
- Mali 1-0 Liberia
- Comoros 1-0 Namibia
- Cameroon 1-1 Congo
- Central African Republic 0-1 Burkina Faso
- Equatorial Guinea 1-0 Sierra Leone
CAF says the 2027 AFCON qualifying campaign will resume in November, before the final two rounds are played in March 2027. Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda will co-host the tournament and are already assured of places at the finals.
For Ghana and Nigeria, however, the next round of matches will be particularly important as both sides look to recover from damaging defeats and revive their qualification campaigns.
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