Tunisia on Monday knocked Ghana out of the Africa Cup of Nations in a penalty shootout, extending the Black Stars’ run of pain at the tournament for at least another two years.
The title drought is 37 years and counting for Ghana, who were eliminated 5-4 in the shootout in Ismailia when striker Caleb Ekuban was the only player to miss.
Goalkeeper Farouk Ben Mustapha was the hero for Tunisia in the last-16 match. He was brought on especially for the shootout and made a match-winning save from Ekuban.
Photo: EPA-EFE
That left Ferjani Sassi to step up and score with the last spot-kick and send Tunisia into a quarter-final against surprise package Madagascar.
Tunisia were on their way to winning in regulation time after Taha Khenissi scored in the 73rd minute. Ghana snatched a dramatic equalizer two minutes into stoppage time when Rami Bedoui headed the ball into his own net straight after coming on as a substitute to make it 1-1.
There were no goals in extra time.
Ghana’s failure means that the star-studded West Africans still have not won the Africa Cup since their fourth title in 1982.
Ghana have lost three finals since then, including on penalties in 2015.
Tunisia were the last team to seal their spot in the quarter-finals in Egypt.
In the quarter-finals, Senegal are to face Benin, Nigeria face South Africa, Ivory Coast face Algeria and Tunisia face Madagascar.
Earlier, Wilfried Zaha’s late goal put Ivory Coast into the last eight with a 1-0 victory over Mali in Suez.
Zaha’s winner in the 76th minute saved Ivory Coast, who had been the second-best team for most of the game.
However, Zaha took his chance when Mali’s players did not. He ran onto a long pass launched from the back and tucked his shot away after Mali’s defense failed to deal with the danger.
Mali had twice as many shots on goal as Ivory Coast, dominated the first half and also finished the game strongest. Mali just could not break through.
Ivory Coast were the 2015 champion and are seeking a third title.
The quarter-finals start today.
Inter on Sunday were given a letoff when they snatched a late 1-1 derby draw with AC Milan, while league leaders SSC Napoli were held by a late goal at AS Roma. Reigning champions Inter remain three points behind Napoli, who looked to be heading five clear as they led in Rome until Angelino volleyed in a stunning leveler in the first minute of stoppage-time. Angelino’s strike gave even more significance to Stefan de Vrij’s last-gasp equalizer at the San Siro. The defender forced home Nicola Zalewski’s knockdown just as it looked like Tijjani Reijnders’ opener would be enough for Milan. “I can
Santiago Castro on Tuesday had an immediate impact off the bench as he scored the goal to send Bologna into the Coppa Italia semi-finals for the first time in 26 years. Bologna won 1-0 against last year’s runners-up, Atalanta BC, and are to play either holders Juventus or Empoli in the final four. Juventus are to host Empoli in their quarter-final on Feb. 26. The last time Bologna reached the semi-finals was in 1999, when they lost 4-2 to ACF Fiorentina. There were chances for both sides in a high-tempo match in Bergamo, but it was Bologna who broke the deadlock 10 minutes from
After nearly six years away from the NBA, New Taipei Kings player Jeremy Lin (林書豪) is set to participate in the 2025 NBA All-Star Weekend’s Rising Stars mini-tournament as the coach of Team G League. The NBA announced Monday (U.S. time) that the Taiwanese-American player will join a trio of Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famers – Tim Hardaway Sr., Chris Mullin, and Mitch Richmond – as honorary coaches for four teams featuring 28 rising talents. "See you soon in the Bay," Lin wrote in an Instagram story sharing the news. As the All-Star Weekend will take place at
The former interpreter for baseball star Shohei Ohtani on Thursday was sentenced to nearly five years in prison for bank and tax fraud after he stole nearly US$17 million from the Los Angeles Dodgers player’s bank account. Ippei Mizuhara, who was supposed to bridge the gap between the Japanese athlete and his English-speaking teammates and fans, was sentenced in federal court in Santa Ana to four years and nine months after pleading guilty last year. He was ordered to pay US$18 million in restitution, with nearly US$17 million going to Ohtani and the remainder to the US Internal Revenue Service. He was