Ghana’s quest to return to the Africa Cup of Nations got off to a false start after losing 2-0 to Côte d’Ivoire in Bouaké in their opening game of the 2027 edition qualifiers.

A first-half strike by Malick Yalcouyé and a Franck Kessié spot kick in the second were the difference, with the Elephants getting an important win, while it looks like déjà vu for the Black Stars, who begin another AFCON qualifying cycle with a defeat.

Here’s how each Ghana player was rated in the game out of ten, with ten being the highest mark.

Lawrence Ati Zigi – 3

The St. Gallen goalkeeper was not the busiest man on the pitch, especially in the first half, but when his first real test arrived, he was caught off guard by the Malick Yalcouyé goal. The goal can’t be entirely pinned on him because the two midfielders allowed the Brighton man to shoot instead of pressing him.

Kojo Oppong Peprah – 2

The 22-year-old was played out of position at right-back and was found wanting a lot of the time when he came up against Yan Diomande. He couldn’t move the ball up and struggled to pick out teammates with his passes. Peprah didn’t also get enough help from Fatawu, but his lack of fitness, having played just 21 minutes this season, showed.

Gideon Mensah – 3

His first half was particularly not great, with the ball stuck under his feet a number of times, but the FC Köln full-back improved in the second half.

Alexander Djiku – 5

The captain on the day was decent and came out on top in most of the defensive actions the Spartak Moscow central defender was involved in.

Jerome Opoku – 5

Like his centre-back pairing, there were not many questions about his contribution to the game. The Istanbul Basaksehir man was particularly successful with his duels.

Fatawu Issahaku – 3

The Ipswich winger was isolated for a lot of the game, also because he was paired with a centre-back-turned-full-back in Peprah. When he had the ball, he ran into no man’s land and lost possession – zero end product coming from the situations he was involved in. Fatawu was unlucky to concede a penalty that would likely not be given if there was VAR.

Kwasi Sibo – 2

The Al-Swehly midfielder was involved in the most defining moment in the game – the Yalcouyé goal – where he was caught ball-watching when he should have been pressing. He couldn’t provide the protection to the backline that he was supposed to bring, lacked passing quality and, as usual, struggled to pick out teammates with his passes.

Caleb Yirenkyi – 2

The Coventry man, just like his midfield partner, probably let the team down by not pressing or closing down Yalcouyé for the Côte d’Ivoire opener. He played like a man lacking confidence and was jittery with a lot of his actions.

Christopher Baah Bonsu – 4

The Al Qadsiah winger had a bright start to the game and caused the Ivorians a lot of problems down the left, creating half-chances for the team before the Côte d’Ivoire goal turned the tide.

Ernest Nuamah – 5

Though a lot of his runs finished at a dead end, the Lyon winger was Ghana’s most dangerous man until he was taken off. He would have been more useful if deployed on either wing with a natural striker receiving his services.

Brandon Thomas-Asante – 3

The Coventry attacker was isolated for a lot of the time he was on the pitch and was required to do too much running by being at both ends of the pitch at all times, and ended up doing very little.

Substitutes

Augustine Boakye – 4

The St. Etienne attacking midfielder, in 26 minutes, showed why Ghanaians screamed for him to be involved throughout the World Cup period and made the moment count when it came. The 25-year-old was always eager to get the ball forward since his introduction and generated a lot of promising situations during his time on the pitch.

Benjamin Tetteh – 4

Probably should have scored towards the end but showed why the team needs a target man with the amount of attention and action he drew in his 26 minutes on the pitch.

Felix Afena-Gyan – 3

The Igdir forward had no excuse not to find the back of the net but instead acted as a defender for Côte d’Ivoire, heading the ball out off the post when he should have been heading it in.

Jonas Adjetey – 3

Got 19 minutes, a period when Ghana was probably on top of the game.

Ibrahim Sulemana – 3

The Sassuolo midfielder didn’t have a lot of time to affect the game, just like Gyan, and was the extra body the team perhaps needed in midfield from the start.

Carlos Queiroz - Head coach – 3

With the materials at his disposal, Queiroz coached a goalless draw but left himself short by playing just two midfielders from the start.