{
  "id": 9713732,
  "title": "AFCON 2027Q: Queiroz ‘proud’ of Black Stars performance despite defeat to Cote d’Ivoire",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/25/afcon-2027q-queiroz-proud-of-black-stars-performance-despite-defeat",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-09-25T06:02:38.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "MyJoyOnline Ghana",
    "slug": "myjoyonline-ghana",
    "url": "https://www.myjoyonline.com/afcon-2027q-queiroz-proud-of-black-stars-performance-despite-defeat-to-cote-divoire/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Carlos Queiroz, head coach of Ghana's Black Stars, expressed pride in his team's performance during their match against Cote d'Ivoire, despite the team's 2-0 loss. The defeat, which occurred in Bouaké on Thursday, prevented Ghana from securing a winning start in their 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign. Malick Yalcouye opened the scoring for Cote d'Ivoire with a powerful shot from outside the box, and Frank Kessie added to the Elephants' lead with a penalty in the second half. Despite the loss, Queiroz emphasized the positive aspects of his team's performance. He praised his players' fighting spirit and their ability to play despite adversity. He also noted that while Cote d'Ivoire dominated possession, Ghana created more opportunities and had four clear chances to score. However, none of these opportunities were converted into goals. The Portuguese coach acknowledged that despite being outclassed in terms of possession, Ghana's attacking penetration was superior. He concluded by congratulating Cote d'Ivoire on their victory. As for the future, Ghana will now focus on their next match against Gambia at the Accra Sports Stadium on September 29.",
  "summary": "Ghana's hopes of making a winning start to their 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign suffered a setback as the Black Stars lost 2-0 to the Elephants in Bouaké on Thursday evening.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}