Richard Ofori touched the ball in the last minutes of the game
January 22, 2024, a night that still lingers painfully in Ghanaian football memory.
Exactly two years ago, the Black Stars were seconds away from rescuing their AFCON 2023 campaign when everything unraveled in the cruellest fashion against Mozambique.
Jordan Ayew had stepped up when it mattered. He converted his first penalty in the 15th minute after a foul on Joseph Paintsil, sending Ghana into an early lead.
Tension returned in the second half, but Ayew was called upon again in the 70th minute, calmly dispatching another spot kick after Mohammed Kudus was brought down. At 2-0, Ghana were in control. Qualification hopes were alive.
Then came the collapse.
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In the 90+1 minute, Andre Ayew conceded a penalty and Geny Catamo converted to give Mozambique belief. Still, Ghana were moments away from holding on.
Mozambique pushed desperately for an equaliser, launching one final attack. The shot that followed was poor, flying well over the crossbar and clearly heading out for a goal kick.
All Ghana needed was that goal kick. One clearance. One final whistle. But in a moment that continues to haunt fans, goalkeeper Richard Ofori inexplicably stretched to touch the ball, despite defenders urging him to leave it.
The unnecessary contact handed Mozambique a corner. From that corner in the 90+4 minute, Reinildo Mandava rose and headed home the equaliser.
Ghana finished third in the group with just two points, not enough to progress. But beyond the statistics, it was the manner of the collapse that hurt most.
Two years on, that single touch remains frozen in time, a split-second decision that changed everything. Some cope with humor, turning the pain into memes and jokes. Others, however, are still quietly licking the wounds of a night that changed everything in a split second.
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Meanwhile, watch as Ghanaians celebrate Senegal’s AFCON triumph