AFCON 2027 Qualifiers: Ghana overcome Somalia to revive qualifying campaign with victory

Ghana revived their 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign with a hard-fought 2-0 victory over Somalia at the Essipong Sports Stadium in Sekondi-Takoradi on Thursday afternoon.The Black Stars secured all three points in their opening Group C encounter of the November international window, ending a five-match winless run and giving interim head coach Kim Lars Bjorkegren a winning start in competitive football.Ghana had an opportunity to take an early lead in the 14th minute after Alidu Seidu was brought down inside the penalty area, prompting the referee to point to the spot.However, captain Jordan Ayew failed to convert the resulting penalty, missing an opportunity to put the hosts ahead and allowing Somalia to remain in the contest.The Black Stars continued to push for the breakthrough, dominating proceedings as they looked to make their superiority count against a disciplined Somali side.Their persistence finally paid off on the brink of half-time when central defender Jonas Adjetey found the back of the net to give Ghana a deserved lead heading into the break.The goal provided the Black Stars with a timely boost after their earlier penalty disappointment and gave them greater control of the contest.Ghana maintained their attacking intent after the restart and doubled their advantage in the 62nd minute through Felix Afena-Gyan.The forward finished off a move created by Mohammed Kudus, who provided the assist to put the Black Stars firmly in control and underline the importance of his return to the national team.Somalia struggled to find a response as Ghana managed their advantage, with the two-goal cushion eventually proving enough to secure victory.The result represents an important response from Ghana following successive defeats to Cte d'Ivoire and The Gambia, which had left their qualification hopes under significant pressure.Bjorkegren will now turn his attention to Monday's return fixture against Somalia at the same venue, where another victory would further strengthen Ghana's position in Group C as they seek to secure a place at the 2027 AFCON in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania.