In a thrilling encounter at Felix Houphouet Boigny Stadium in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, Garry Rodrigues of Cape Verde celebrated a dramatic stoppage-time winner, securing a 2-1 victory over four-time champions Ghana in the Group B match of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.

This marked the third match of the day in Abidjan, following Nigeria’s draw with Equatorial Guinea in Group A and Egypt’s last-gasp penalty to draw with Mozambique in the opening Group B match at the same stadium.

Cape Verde took the lead in the 17th minute when Garry Rodrigues’s shot, parried by Ghana goalkeeper Richard Ofori, fell to Jamiro Monteiro, who tucked it away from close range. Ghana seemed to have equalized before halftime, but VAR disallowed Majeed Ashimeru’s goal due to offside interference by Ransford Konigsdorffer.

Ghana leveled the score 11 minutes into the second half, with Alexander Djiku heading home from Jordan Ayew’s corner. Despite missed opportunities for the Black Stars, Cape Verde continued to create chances, and the breakthrough came in stoppage time when Garry Rodrigues capitalized on a defensive error.

Ghana veteran Dede Ayew made a late appearance, marking his eighth Cup of Nations tournament, equaling the record held by Cameroon’s Rigobert Song and Egyptian Ahmed Hassan. The earlier Group B game witnessed Mohamed Salah converting a stoppage-time penalty, saving Egypt from embarrassment in a 2-2 draw with Mozambique, playing in their first finals since 2010.

Looking ahead, Ghana will face Egypt on Thursday, while Cape Verde takes on Mozambique on Friday, both at the Felix Houphouet-Boigny Stadium.