Tuesday’s Group C matchup between Ghana and Comoros at the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations has massive implications for both sides. An awful campaign so far in Cameroon has Ghana with only one point and the confidence of Black Stars supporters has sunk to its lowest levels. Ghana need to win to avoid a humiliating group stage exit but they will be facing a team that is determined to earn its first ever point in AFCON play on its debut appearance. Comoros are still mathematically in the hunt for a knockout round spot, making them a dangerous opponent with little to lose.
The Ghana camp announced their intentions to defeat Comoros with captain André Ayew guaranteeing three points. Ayew expressed his displeasure regarding the previous match, a draw against Gabon, on the grounds that the Gabonese team scored their equalizer when they should have returned the ball to Ghana after it was previously put out of play for a Ghanaian player to receive medical treatment.
Manager Milovan Rajevac has taken plenty of criticism and it appears that anything less than a victory on Tuesday will result in the Serbian manager losing his job. Rajevac will be dealing with a few absences including starting defensive midfielder Baba Iddrisu as well as Mubarak Wakaso, David Abagna and suspended striker Benjamin Tetteh. Sheriff Tirapol midfielder Edmund Addo is expected to replace Iddrisu, but the big question for Black Stars fans is if Rajevac will shake up the attack and bring 17-year-old starlet Abdul Fatawu into the starting lineup.
After a promising performance that ended in defeat in their opening match against Gabon, Comoros were dominated by Morocco but the silver lining was goalkeeper Salim Ben Boina’s performance. The 30-year-old who plays in the fifth tier of French football earned the honor of being the first Comorian player to win Player of the Match at the AFCON. In an interview with RFI, the Marseille-based Ben Boina remarked that the match would be something he will remember for the rest of his life but also expressed hope that he can earn a move into professional football following the competition.
Comoros manager Amir Abdou stated that his team will treat the match as a final and that the Coelacanths want a result that matches the respect they have earned in Cameroon. Abdou has a couple of forwards in El Fardou Ben and Faïz Selemani who want to score the team’s first ever goal in the AFCON. The two players born in nearby French overseas department Mayotte are profiled by a French publication that focuses on news in the country’s overseas departments below.
Check out all the news and links before a must-win match for both teams.
