Ghana coach Carlos Queiroz believes Malick Yalcouyé’s stunning first-half strike set the tone for the Black Stars’ 2-0 defeat to Ivory Coast in their opening match of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.
The Black Stars made a losing start to their Group C campaign at the Stade de Bouaké, where Brighton forward Yalcouyé broke the deadlock before captain Franck Kessié converted a second-half penalty to seal victory for the hosts.
Reflecting on the defeat, Queiroz said the opening goal was the defining moment of the contest.
“The difference was the first goal of Côte d’Ivoire,” he said.
“The player had a brilliant strike from outside the box. We missed our one-on-one positioning to cover the space in that moment, but he had a fantastic strike, and we went into the break 1-0 down,” the 73-year-old added.
The Portuguese coach also pointed to Kessié’s penalty as the moment that ended Ghana’s hopes of mounting a comeback.
“I will talk about the second goal again because the second goal was what changed everything and made the difference,” he added.
The defeat leaves Ghana searching for their first points of the qualifying campaign as they attempt to return to the AFCON after missing out on the previous edition, ending a run of more than 20 years of consecutive appearances at the tournament.
The Black Stars have returned to Accra and will now switch their focus to Tuesday’s Group C encounter against The Gambia, where Queiroz’s side will look to revive their qualification hopes.
