Ghana and Angola have qualified for the finals of the Africa Cup of Nations scheduled for next January after finishing in the first and second places in their group, despite both teams' unimpressive performances at home on Thursday. Substitute Ernest Nuama scored a goal two minutes before the end, turning Ghana's deficit into a 2-1 victory over the Central African Republic in Kumasi, while Angola secured second place despite a goalless draw in Lubango with Madagascar, who had already been eliminated from the qualifiers.
Ghana topped Group E with 12 points, while Angola finished with nine points, two points ahead of the Central African Republic, who needed to win their last qualifying match today to qualify for the finals for the first time in their history. The Central African Republic took the lead through substitute captain Louis Mafouta, affirming their determination to make history even without their injured captain and Olympique Marseille midfielder Geoffrey Kondogbia.
Mohammed Kudus, the new addition from West Ham United, equalized for Ghana before the end of the first half, and Antoine Semenyo assisted Nuama's winning goal after seizing the ball from the visiting defense and passing it to the 19-year-old, who scored from close range.
Ghana and Angola joined Algeria, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Morocco, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, Tunisia, and Zambia in the finals in Ivory Coast, which qualified automatically as the host nation. Another spot will be determined later on Thursday when the group stage of Group Six concludes.
