Angola held Ghana to a 1-1 draw in the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifier on Monday in Luanda.
Both teams split the victory in a fiercely contested game after Osman Bukari’s late goal offset Lucas Joao’s early second-half goal.
Thomas Partey and Inaki Williams were moved to the bench, as Chris Hughton made four adjustments to the team that defeated Angola in the earlier match last Thursday.
Salis Abdul Samed and Antoine Semenyo took their places, and Denis Odoi and Alexander Djiku, who were injured, were replaced by Kingsley Schindler and Joseph Aidoo, respectively.
⌚️ FULL-TIME: It's all over at the Estadio 11 de Novembro in Luanda.
• Angola 🇦🇴 1-1 🇬🇭 Ghana
⚽️ 51' Lucas Joao (pk) / 72' Osman Bukari #BlackStars | #AFCON2023Q | #ANGGHA| #BringBackTheLove
— 🇬🇭 Black Stars (@GhanaBlackstars) March 27, 2023
Lawrence Ati Zigi, flanked by Daniel Amartey, Schindler, Gideon Mensah, and Aidoo, remained in the post at the same time.
Salis Samed and Edmund Addo worked as a two-man pivot, with Jordan Ayew, Kamaldeen Sulemana, and Mohammed Kudus supporting Semenyo up top.
Angola had a penalty call disallowed within the first five minutes of the game despite having the upper hand.
The Black Antelopes’ captain Gilberto launched a free kick directly into Ati Zigi’s waiting arms, giving them the game’s first shot on goal.
After 26 minutes, Ayew found space on the right and found Kudus, who then passed the ball to Addo, but the midfielder’s attempt was off target.
The best opportunity of the first half, however, belonged to Angola, who flawlessly executed a brilliant counterattacking move before Ati Zigi made an equally brilliant save to deny them the opening goal.
Amartey fouled his defender in the box, leading to a penalty, and the Black Stars were made to pay for their sluggishness early in the second half.
In the 50th minute, Lucas Joao stepped up and scored from the penalty spot to give Angola a justifiable lead.
Hughton attempted to save the game by substituting Joseph Paintsil, Osman Bukari, and Inaki Williams for Semenyo, Sulemana, and Kudus as the hosts continued to dominate.
The replacements quickly became effective after Paintsil installed Bukari.
Salis Samed’s pass put Painstil in position to score late in the match, but his shot was blocked just as the game was about to end 1-1.
As a result, Ghana now leads Group E and is three points ahead of Central African Republic (CAR), which is in second place.
