Mohammed Kudus returned to captaincy duties with the Black Stars for their final 2025 African Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifier against Niger. Kudus took over the captain’s band after Jordan Ayew, the substantive skipper, was ruled out for the fixture.
The game was played at the Accra Sports Stadium on November 18, 2024.
At the end of proceedings, Otto Addo’s team lost by two goals to one, their fourth loss in the qualifiers. They ended bottom of their group with three points out of a possible 18.
Niger took a deserving lead in the 22nd minute through Badamassi, who beautifully connected a corner with a brilliant header before Ghana hit back through a 67th minute strike from Jerry Afriyie.
While the game seemed like it was ending in a draw, it had a dramatic turn where Niger reclaimed their lead inside 90 minutes through a header from Sako.
In what was the last kick of the game, the Black Stars were awarded a penalty after Kudus was fouled in the box, he stepped up and missed the last kick of the game.
The Black Stars ended the qualifiers losing three and drawing three out of their six games. The loss cemented the poor record of failing to qualify for the AFCON for first time in two decades. In their group, Angola and Sudan qualified for the AFCON slated for Morocco.
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Watch Kudus’ missed penalty