Follow the reaction as two of the pre-tournament heavyweight favorites could only manage a draw as they aimed to bounce back from disappointing opening games
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Egypt 2-2 Ghana: How it happened
What’s next at AFCON?
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Tomorrow’s games will have to do a lot to top today’s action, but there are three interesting matchups on the menu.
Friday at the AFCON
- Group B: Cape Verde vs Mozambique – 2pm GMT/9am ET/7 a.m. PT
- Group C: Senegal – Cameroon – 5 p.m. GMT/12pm ET/10 a.m. ET (Live coverage available on The Athlete)
- Group C: Guinea – Gambia – 20:00 GMT/15:00 ET/13:00 ET
Egypt are unsure of the extent of Salah’s injury
Facing the press after the match, Egypt manager Rui Vitoria was asked about Salah’s injury that forced him off in first-half stoppage time.
“We don’t know what the problem is yet. I hope it’s not a big problem,” he said. “The timing was difficult for us because in the second half we could only make two changes.
“I don’t think it’s dangerous, but let’s see.”
FURTHER
Mohamed Salah substituted through injury for Egypt’s AFCON clash against Ghana
And yet Marmoush was even better
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It felt like a coming of age performance from Marmoush.
Tournaments are the perfect opportunity to showcase yourself, and his stock only goes one way.
The 24-year-old Eintracht Frankfurt forward was excellent and caused no problems for the Ghanaian defence. He finished the game with one goal and could have had two or three more, but his performance far exceeded his scoring output.
Without Salah, Marmus seems the ideal man to shoulder the responsibility of his nation.
How good was Kudus?
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Answer: A lot.
Kundous showed from the first minute exactly what Ghana had been missing in their first game against Cape Verde. He was willing to get the ball, proactive when he got it and made things happen.
His first goal was the precise bit of magic the game had been missing up to that stage, as he curled a left-footed strike into the bottom corner under pressure from two or three Egyptian defenders.
His second goal had a good idea about it, but how does the old saying go? You make your own luck or something.
It is quite possible that Ghana would have taken zero points from their first two matches had he not been deemed fit for today’s game.
The full-time statistics package
And here are the stats behind the pulsating draw.
Egypt 2-2 Ghana
Shots: 11 – 6
Shots on goal: 5 – 3
xG: 1.28 – 0.37
Occupation: 58% – 42%
Accurate passes: 369 – 264
Angles: 3 – 4
Yellow cards: 0 – 1
Red cards: 0 – 0
Egypt 2-2 Ghana: The key moments
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I will try to integrate this chaotic game in a few places. Wish me good luck!
- 45+1′ – Salah is injured and cannot continue
- 45+3′ – Kundous put Ghana ahead
- 51′ – The offside flag denied Abdelmonem an equaliser
- 69′ – Marmus took advantage of Williams’ terrific back pass to equalize
- 71′ – Hard deflection helps Kundus restore Ghana’s lead
- 74′ – Boukari’s mistake was punished by Trezeguet who assisted Mohamed’s equaliser.
- 90′ – Boukari was replaced by Peincil, only in 73′
I don’t think I missed anything!
Hughton’s men shot themselves in the foot
Ghana threw it twice.
They are winless in 6 AFCON group games now and have no one to blame but themselves.
Ghana are still bottom of Group B
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The most disappointing thing about the waste of two different powers is that Ghana remain at the bottom of Group B.
Cape Verde are the real winners tonight as they remain top of the group having played just one game.
- Cape Verde – GP: 1, PTS: 3
- Egypt – GP: 2, PTS: 2
- Mozambique – GP: 1, PTS: 1
- Ghana – GP: 2, PTS: 1
GP = games played, PTS = points
The spoils are shared between Egypt and Ghana
FT Egypt 2-2 Ghana
The game of the tournament so far? I would say so.
Until stoppage time, the first half was very poor, but it exploded when Salah was withdrawn due to injury.
And, from there, it was non-stop action.
In the end, a draw seems fair, but Ghana will be kicking themselves for coming away empty-handed having been ahead twice.
Ofori (just) saves from Ashur!
90+6′ Egypt 2-2 Ghana
This may be the last chance for Egypt and it almost produced the winner.
Assur borrows Marmus’ shiny toes in the penalty area and taps home. It looked like a routine save for Ofori and, in the end, it was.
But a swinging foot from Salisu nearly stabbed it into the back of the net as Ofori dived for it.
Both teams are defending their points
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90+3′ Egypt 2-2 Ghana
For a good chunk of that second half, we lost completely defensively.
But, now, both teams are waiting for their point in every box. At one end, Egypt stifled Ghana before a superb piece of defending from Mensah denied Mohamed.
Seven more minutes to find the winner
90+1′ Egypt 2-2 Ghana
We have (at least) another seven minutes of this.
And I couldn’t be happier, the viewing has been great for the last half hour.
Substitute Bukari is replaced
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90′ Egypt 2-2 Ghana
You’d be hard-pressed to find a worse performance in this tournament than Osman Bukari’s.
He entered the game in the 73rd minute, immediately gave up possession in his own area for the equalizer and was now replaced by Joseph Paintsil.
Ouch.
Marmoush fires well
88′ Egypt 2-2 Ghana
Marmoush was the best player on the pitch by some distance.
But some of his decisions left a lot to be desired. His latest brain fade lets him volley over from 25 yards, but it wouldn’t have made it two goals as he volleyed a mile wide of Ofori’s near post.
Disappointment in the crowd as another chance goes begging.
Egypt is knocking on Ghana’s door
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86′ Egypt 2-2 Ghana
This game was excellent for the last 20 minutes or so.
And it’s Egypt who have the conviction to go on and win it now, putting plenty of pressure on a Ghanaian back line who have actually defended very well so far.
Unfortunately for Ghana’s defenders, they have been stitched together by two rotten pieces from their attacking players.
Salis left on a stretcher, but now he’s back!
82′ Egypt 2-2 Ghana
When I saw Salis leave the field on a stretcher, I thought we might have seen his last appearance in the game.
But no!
Within seconds of exiting the action on a (very precarious) stretcher, he returns to mid lane. What a crazy game!
What’s up with all these errors?
81′ Egypt 2-2 Ghana
The whole point of having Chris Hughton as your manager is that he’s supposed to make you defensively solid!
You’re supposed to be pragmatic and boisterous!
What’s with all those mistakes and overplaying the ball?
Where did all this come from?
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79′ Egypt 2-2 Ghana
Well, that was crazy. It was not;
Egypt was level, then it wasn’t, then it was again.
It is perhaps payback for Egypt after that nasty deflection that sent Kudus’ effort past El Shenawy.
But, I say, Ghana has created all its own problems defensively.
Worst defense by Ghana
76′ Egypt 2-2 Ghana
Ghana is not doing itself any favors.
Bukhari, who has just come on, is pocketed inside his own penalty area by Trezeguet and charges into the six-yard box before pulling it back for Mohamed whose finish is deft and exquisite, through the legs of Ofori and in the nets. .
The Ghanaian goalkeeper is on fire with his defense and rightly so!