Black Meteors yesterday got annihilated by the technical brilliancy of the young Atlas Lions who secured their semifinal spot from the win in the ongoing U-23 AFCON in Rabat, Morocco.
The host nation’s convincing 5-1 victory over Ghana at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium saw a total transformation from the side which had a cagey encounter with Guinea in their Day 1 opener and being ruthless with the once feared West African side.
Morocco wasted no time asserting their dominance, taking an early 2-0 lead within the first 10 minutes through goals from Amir Richardson and Ismael Saibari.
The host nation’s outstanding performance continued of which they extended their lead to 3-0 in the 30th minute with a superb goal from Yanis Begraoui, leaving the Ghanaian defense bewildered and the local fans thrilled.
Ghana managed to pull one back through Salim Adams in the 43rd minute, but their hopes of a comeback were dashed when Fatawu Issahaku’s brilliant shot was disallowed due to the ball going out of play in the build-up.
The controversial decision visibly demoralised and destabilized the Ghanaian team and spirits further dampened as Morocco scored two quick goals in the early stages of the second half. Captain Abde and Begraoui each found the back of the net, securing a commanding 5-1 lead for Morocco.
Although Morocco thought they had scored a sixth goal in added time, it was disallowed. Meanwhile, Ghana made some promising offensive plays, forcing saves from goalkeeper Alaa Bellaarouch.
The heavy defeat leaves Ghana in a precarious position in the tournament and in order to progress to the next round and keep their Olympic Games hopes alive, they must win their final group stage match against Guinea. Guinea, who defeated Congo earlier in the day, also have three points and are vying for a spot in the semi-finals.