Mohammed Kudus misses late penalty as Niger stuns Ghana in Accra
Mohammed Kudus missed a last-minute penalty as Ghana suffered a 2-1 defeat to Niger in their final 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifier at the Accra Sports Stadium. The loss capped a disastrous campaign for the Black Stars, who finished bottom of Group F with no victories to their name.
Ghana’s struggles were clear throughout the qualifiers, as they managed only three goals across six matches. Group F was topped by Angola and Sudan, with both teams securing qualification for the AFCON tournament in Morocco. Ghana's poor form saw them fail to earn a single win, and the team’s offensive difficulties were particularly glaring, with their attacking play failing to produce consistent results.
The match itself saw Ghana field three debutants—Nathaniel Adjei, Terry Yegbe, and Isaac Afful—while 17-year-old Jerry Afriyie, who plays for third-tier side Thoughts FC, made an impression after coming on as a substitute. Afriyie scored a fine goal in the 67th minute to equalize for Ghana, canceling out Niger’s opener by Ousseini Badamassi. Despite the promising turn of events, Niger regained the lead in injury time when Oumar Sako headed home from a set-piece, after being left unmarked in the box.
In a dramatic twist, Ghana was awarded a penalty deep into stoppage time, giving them a chance to salvage a point. However, Kudus, the team’s star midfielder, saw his penalty saved brilliantly by Niger’s goalkeeper, Mahamadou Tanja, dashing Ghana’s hopes of a late equalizer.
This defeat marked the end of Ghana's miserable AFCON qualifying campaign and left coach Otto Addo facing significant scrutiny. Under Addo's leadership, the Black Stars managed just two wins from 10 games in his second stint as coach. As the team languished at the bottom of the group, the Ghana Football Association’s Executive Council is set to meet to review the team’s poor performance and discuss the way forward. With calls for accountability growing louder, Addo’s future as coach is now uncertain.
The loss to Niger further intensified the pressure on the team and its management, leaving questions over the direction and leadership of the Black Stars as they look ahead to future competitions. With their AFCON hopes dashed, the Black Stars will need significant changes if they are to return to competitiveness on the continental stage.
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