Ghana beat Somalia to end 37-month winless AFCON run

Ghana ended a 37-month losing streak in African Cup of Nations qualifiers with a 2-0 victory over Somalia on Thursday in Essipong. Adjei Adjetey, a defender from VfL Wolfsburg, scored the first goal in the second minute of added time. Felix Afena-Gyan doubled the lead on 62 minutes, securing Ghana's first win in Group C following losses to the Ivory Coast and the Gambia two months ago.

Ivory Coast topped the table after defeating Gambia 2-1 in Bouake, accumulating nine points after three rounds, compared to Ghana's three and Somalia's none. The next match between Ghana and Somalia on Monday presents an opportunity for Ghana to secure another win and potentially finish atop the group. While the victory was a relief for acting coach Kim Lars Bjorkegren, who was seconded from the women's national team, Ghana's performance left much to be desired, with both goals resulting from defensive lapses by Somalia, who are ranked 200th in the world.

Meanwhile, Equatorial Guinea and Zimbabwe shared a 0-0 draw in Group E, with Zimbabwe opting to host due to the lack of an international-standard stadium in Equatorial Guinea. Later, Senegal thrashed Sudan 4-1 in Group J, with Nicolas Jackson scoring the first goal for Senegal in Dakar.