AFCON 2023: Black Stars draw 2-2 with Egypt despite Kudus' brilliant brace
The Black Stars of Ghana were denied a thrilling victory, held to a 2-2 draw by the Pharaohs of Egypt in Abidjan on Thursday evening at the Stade Félix-Houphouët-Boigny.
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Despite a magnificent brace from West Ham star Mohammed Kudus on his return from injury, individual errors by Iñaki Williams and Osman Bukari late in the game cost Ghana the win.
Kudus reminded the continent of his talent, wriggling past Egyptian defenders and unleashing a stunning long-range strike from a Salis Abdul Samed pass right before halftime. This came minutes after Liverpool's Mohamed Salah limped off, seemingly weakening the Egyptian attack.
While Egypt dominated possession early, they rarely troubled Ghana goalkeeper Richard Ofori. Ghana's first real chance came through Majeed Ashimeru, whose swift counter-attack found Antoine Semenyo, but Egyptian keeper Ahmed Elshenawi denied him.
Rui Vitoria's strategy of targeting Ghana's fullbacks proved largely ineffective, thwarted by Jordan Ayew and Iñaki Williams' defensive support and Salis Abdul Samed's covering runs. Egypt's aging midfield also struggled to contain the movement of Ashimeru and Kudus.
The second half saw Egypt pushing for an equalizer. A controversial goal for Abdelmonem from a Hegazi cross was ruled offside after VAR review. Omar Marmoush also came close with a run and saved shot.
Ghana remained dangerous on the counter. Semenyo had a one-on-one with Hegazy but wasted the chance. Three minutes later, the game exploded with goals: Marmoush capitalized on Williams' back pass to score into an empty net, but Kudus responded soon after, receiving a pass from Odoi and curling home a low shot for his second.
Unfortunately, another Ghanaian mistake gifted Egypt another equalizer. Substitute Osman Bukari lost possession, leading to Mahmoud Trezeguet's assist for Mostafa Mohamed's second goal in two games. Despite Egypt's late rally, Ghana held on for a draw, a bittersweet result given their twice-held lead.
