It was a game of twists and turns, highs and lows, and two Kuduses. Ghana’s Mohammed Kudus scored a brace to put his team ahead twice, but Egypt’s Mostafa Mohamed also netted twice to salvage a 2-2 draw for the Pharaohs in a Group B clash at the Africa Cup of Nations on Thursday.
The result leaves both teams with work to do to secure their places in the knockout stages, as Cape Verde top the group with four points. Egypt, the record seven-time champions, have two points, while Ghana have one. Mozambique are bottom with zero points.
The match was also marred by an injury to Egypt’s star player and captain Mohamed Salah, who limped off just before halftime with a suspected muscle strain. The Liverpool forward had been in scintillating form for his country, scoring three goals in the previous two games, but his absence could prove costly for the Pharaohs’ hopes of lifting the trophy for the first time since 2010.
“I felt a sharp pain in my leg and I couldn’t continue. I hope it’s not serious and I can recover soon. It’s very frustrating to miss such an important game, but I have faith in my teammates,” Salah said after the game.
Ghana, who have not won a game at the Cup of Nations since 2017, took the lead in first-half stoppage time through a stunning strike from Kudus. The Ajax midfielder picked up the ball 30 yards from goal and unleashed a powerful shot that flew past Mohamed El Shenawy in the Egypt goal.
Egypt came out stronger in the second half and equalized in the 54th minute, thanks to a defensive blunder from Ghana. Inaki Williams, who had replaced the injured Andre Ayew, played a careless back pass that was intercepted by Omar Marmoush, who rounded Richard Ofori and slotted the ball into the empty net.
But Ghana did not let their heads drop and restored their lead two minutes later, with Kudus scoring his second goal of the game. The 21-year-old curled a low shot from the edge of the box that eluded the sight of El Shenawy and nestled into the bottom corner.
“It was a great feeling to score two goals for my country, but I’m disappointed that we couldn’t hold on to the lead. We showed a lot of character and spirit, but we also made some mistakes that cost us. We have to learn from this and improve for the next game,” Kudus said.
Egypt, who had conceded only two goals in their last 28 games at the Cup of Nations before this tournament, found themselves in a familiar situation of having to come from behind. They did so in the 59th minute, when Mostafa Mohamed headed in a cross from Trezeguet to level the score for the second time.
The Zamalek striker, who had also scored in the 1-1 draw with Cape Verde, became the joint top scorer of the tournament with four goals, alongside Salah and Cape Verde’s Ryan Mendes.
“I’m happy to score goals for my country, but the most important thing is the team’s performance. We wanted to win this game, but we faced a tough opponent who gave us a lot of problems. We have to keep working hard and focus on the next game,” Mostafa Mohamed said.
Both teams had chances to win the game in the final minutes, but neither could find the decisive goal. Egypt’s Ashour came close with a curling shot that was well saved by Ofori, while Ghana’s David Accam fired wide from a promising position.
The final whistle brought mixed emotions for both sides, as they shared the points and the applause from the fans at the Félix Houphouët-Boigny stadium in Abidjan.
Egypt’s coach Hossam El Badry praised his players for their resilience and expressed his hope that Salah would recover soon.
“We showed a lot of character and determination to come back twice from behind. We created a lot of chances and we could have won the game, but we also have to give credit to Ghana for their performance. They have a very good team and a very good coach,” El Badry said.
“We are very worried about Salah’s injury. He is our leader and our best player. We hope it’s nothing serious and he can join us again soon. We need him for the next game and for the rest of the tournament,” he added.
Ghana’s coach Chris Hughton lamented his team’s defensive errors and urged them to bounce back in their final group game against Mozambique.
“We are very disappointed to concede two goals from our own mistakes. We have to be more careful and more focused in these situations. And we played well and we scored two great goals, but we also gave away two cheap goals. That’s something we have to work on and correct,” Hughton said.
“We still have a chance to qualify for the next round, but we have to win our last game against Mozambique. Also we have to show more consistency and more quality. We have to believe in ourselves and fight for our country,” he said.
The game was a thrilling spectacle for the neutral fans, who witnessed four goals, two comebacks, and two Kuduses. But for the teams involved, it was a tense and nervy affair, that left them with more questions than answers.
