AFCON 2027 Qualifiers: Malick Yalcouyé’s opener proved decisive in Ghana defeat – Carlos Queiroz

Ghana coach Carlos Queiroz believes Ivory Coast’s opening goal set the tone for the Black Stars’ 2-0 defeat in their first match of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.

The four-time African champions made a losing start to their Group C campaign at the Stade de Bouaké, where Brighton forward Malick Yalcouyé broke the deadlock before captain Franck Kessié converted a second-half penalty to seal victory for the hosts.

Reflecting on the result, Queiroz pointed to Yalcouyé’s first-half strike as the turning point before returning to his frustration over the penalty that doubled Ivory Coast’s advantage.

“The difference was the first goal of Côte d’Ivoire,” Queiroz said after the match.

“The player had a brilliant strike from outside the box. We missed our one-on-one positioning to cover the space in that moment, but he had a fantastic strike, and we went into the break 1-0 down.”

The Portuguese coach also maintained that the second goal proved decisive in ending Ghana’s hopes of mounting a comeback.

“I will talk about the second goal again because the second goal was what changed everything and made the difference,” he added.

The defeat leaves Ghana searching for their first points of the qualifying campaign as they look to secure a return to the Africa Cup of Nations after missing out on the previous edition, which ended a run of more than two decades of consecutive appearances at the tournament.

The Black Stars have since returned to Accra and will continue preparations ahead of Tuesday’s Group C meeting with The Gambia, knowing a positive result would boost their hopes of reviving their qualification bid.