Today, January 14, 2024, at 8 p.m. (GMT) at the Felix Houphouet Boigny stadium in Ivory Coast, the Black Stars of Ghana are scheduled to play Cape Verdein.
After Egypt and Mozambique’s match, which is scheduled for 5 p.m. GMT earlier in the day, this game is the second in the group B matches of the 2023 TotalEnegies Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) competition.
Ghana and Cape Verde are playing each other at the CAF Africa Cup of Nations for the second time. In the 2013 edition, Ghana emerged victorious in their lone prior encounter, defeating their opponent 2-0.
This is Ghana’s 24th participation in the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations, the most after Côte d’Ivoire (25) and Egypt (26), according to the Confederation of African Football (CAF). In four of their first seven appearances (1963, 1965, 1978, 1982), the Black Stars emerged victorious from the Africa Cup of Nations; however, they have failed to win any of the next sixteen.
With the exception of a 2-0 group stage victory over Guinea-Bissau in 2019, Ghana has only won one of their previous nine CAF Africa Cup of Nations games (D4 L4). However, they were eliminated in the previous AFCON’s group stages.
Their Cape Verdean counterparts, on the other hand, are making their fourth CAF Africa Cup of Nations appearance, having participated in the competition each time since 2013.
They have drawn six of their 11 games in the tournament thus far. Their two victories came against Ethiopia in 2022 (1-0) and Angola in 2013 (2-1), both in the group stages.
Despite making it through the AFCON group stages twice before (in 2013 and 2021), Cape Verde has never prevailed in a match during the competition’s knockout stage. In nine group games (W2 D6), they have only lost once, and that was against Burkina Faso in January 2022 (0-1).
The majority of Ghanaians and Cape Verdeans are excited to see this game because both teams are confident in winning because Cape Verde has never lost their opening match at a CAF Africa Cup of Nations (W1 D2).
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