The night of February 8, 2015, was supposed to be a glorious one for Ghana. After an impressive run in the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), the Black Stars stood on the brink of reclaiming the trophy they last won in 1982. But fate had other plans.

Ghana’s journey to the final had been a rollercoaster. They stumbled in their opening match, a 2-1 loss to Senegal, but quickly regained their footing with wins over Algeria and South Africa. In the knockout stages, they brushed aside Guinea with a commanding 3-0 victory before silencing hosts Equatorial Guinea by the same scoreline. The stage was set for a classic showdown against long-time rivals Ivory Coast.

The final in Bata was a tense battle. Both sides fought hard, but after 120 minutes, neither had broken the deadlock. Then came the penalty shootout, where Ghana appeared destined for victory. The Ivorians missed their first two spot-kicks, and the Black Stars found themselves on the verge of glory.

But then, the unthinkable happened. Afriyie Acquah, Frank Acheampong, and goalkeeper Razak Brimah all missed crucial penalties, allowing Ivory Coast to mount an extraordinary comeback. The Elephants triumphed 9-8, leaving the Black Stars in despair.

“We were totally dead after the AFCON 2015 final,” Emmanuel Agyemang-Badu recalled in a recent interview with Sporty FM. “I’ve never seen a team lose a penalty shootout after leading 2-0. I still can’t understand what happened.”

Since that fateful night, Ghana has struggled to reach the same heights. The Black Stars have faced early eliminations in recent AFCON tournaments and even failed to qualify for the upcoming 2025 edition in Morocco. The scars of 2015 remain, a haunting memory of how close they came—only to see their dreams slip away.