January 15, (THEWILL) – Jim Allevinah scored an 88th-minute strike to help Gabon to a 1-1 draw with Ghana and give themselves a good chance of progressing to the knockout stages of the TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).
The Panthers fought back on Friday despite being without talismanic captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who was sidelined due to “cardiac lesions” after contracting COVID-19 last week, as THEWILL reported.
With a powerful shot on the turn from just outside Gabon’s area in the 18th minute, Andre Ayew put the four-time AFCON champions Ghana ahead.
It was a fantastic effort from the Black Stars skipper, who had only a small chance of converting the opportunity, but the venom in his strike beat Gabon goalkeeper Jean Noel Amonome for the opener.
However, that was Ghana’s only attempt on goal, and they were punished late on when a fast free-kick took their defence off guard, with substitute Allevinah hammering in a low finish to draw Gabon level.
The referee then gave a post-match red card to Ghana’s Benjamin Tetteh, who hit a Gabon player in the face before fleeing the scene, after Ayew’s enraged reaction at full-time ended in a fracas on the pitch.
Gabon is in second place in Group C, with Morocco leading the way. In the meantime, Ghana must defeat Comoros in order to advance.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
