Queiroz brands Ivory Coast penalty “a joke” after 2-0 loss
By Kwame Bediako Ghana head coach Carlos Queiroz has called the penalty awarded to Ivory Coast in their 2-0 AFCON 2027 qualifier win “a joke”, saying the decision unbalanced the match and changed its momentum. Ghana trailed 1-0 at half-time in Bouaké after Malick Yalcouyé’s opener for the hosts. Early in the second half, Abdul […]
Ghana's head coach Carlos Queiroz dismissed the penalty awarded to Ivory Coast in their recent 2-0 AFCON 2027 qualifier loss as "a joke", arguing it unbalanced the match and altered its momentum. The match ended with Ghana trailing 1-0 at halftime after Malick Yalcouyé scored for the hosts. In the second half, Abdul Fatawu Issahaku was penalized for a challenge on Yalcouyé within the box, and Franck Kessié converted the penalty to make it 2-0.
Upon reviewing the incident, Queiroz insisted the spot-kick should never have been awarded. "That penalty, it's a joke," he stated. He contended that Ghana remained in the match at 1-0 and was fighting for an equalizer before the referee's decision shifted the balance decisively to Ivory Coast. "I don’t think Ivory Coast needed the referee to come inside the game and create an unbalanced situation," Queiroz added.
The loss left Ghana at the bottom of Group C with zero points after the first match, while the defending African champions occupied the top spot with three points.
Written by urgent.news from GBC Ghana's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
