Ghana will not be going to the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games after the Black Meteors lost 6-5 on penalties to South Africa in the 3rd/4th place playoff of the U-23 AFCON tournament in Egypt.
The match ended 2-2 after regulation time and so, penalties were needed to find a winner.
South Africa took the lead in the 15th minute through a Habib Mohammed own goal but Ghana equalised through Evans Mensah but the South Africans scored again in the 62nd minute via a Mahlatsi Kamohelo strike.
5 minutes until the end of the match, Samuel Obeng scored the equaliser to tie the match at 2-2.
In the shootout, Ghana’s Emmanuel Lomotey, Evans Mensah, Issah Abbas, Samuel Obeng, and Zakaria Fuseinu scored for Ghana but Kingsley Fobi, Emmanuel Sarpong and Emmanuel Cudjoe missed for Ghana.
The result means that South Africa will join Cote d’Ivoire and Egypt as Africa’s representatives in the 2020 Olympic football tournament.
Ghana will now have to wait for the qualifiers for the 2024 Olympic football qualifiers to see if they can get back to the Games for the first time since 2004.