‘We have to blame ourselves’ – Kamaldeen looks back on disappointing Afcon 2021 campaign in Ghana

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Ghana striker Kamaldeen Sulemana has described his disappointing Africa Cup of Nations campaign in Cameroon as a learning experience.

Ranked as pre-tournament favourites, the Black Stars failed to live up to expectations as they suffered a group stage elimination from the continental showpiece.

More embarrassingly, they finished bottom of the table in a group that also included Morocco, Gabon and debutants Comoros, and ended their adventure without a single victory, the first time in their tournament history.

“My first Afcon dance started off on the wrong foot with team performances that were more than embarrassing but very grateful for my debut in this prestigious tournament,” Stade Rennes youngster Kamaldeen said in a statement on social media.

“A very difficult experience with so many learning curves. Things didn’t go as planned and we have to blame ourselves as a team.

“Sincere apologies. No apology or apology is enough because Ghana deserves better. Giving up is never an option, we will come back and I mean we will come back!

“Thank you for the unparalleled support and kind messages.”

Ghana exited the competition after a shock 3-2 loss to Comoros, who had neither scored nor won a point heading into their matchday three match.

Their group stage elimination was Ghana’s first since failing to qualify for the knockout stage at the 2006 tournament in Egypt.

In Cameroon, the West Africans opened their campaign with a 1-0 loss to Morocco, canceled out by a late strike from Sofiane Boufal.

On matchday two, Ghana looked set to win with an early goal from Andre Ayew until late when Jim Allevinah scored to level the score.

The Black Stars entered their final group game confident of recording their first three points of the tournament, but that was not to be the case as they surprisingly found the opposition too strong.

Kamaldeen, who made his international debut in 2020, featured in all three of Ghana’s Afcon matches, making the opening XI each time.

The 19-year-old and the Black Stars will be hoping to bounce back on their next mission when they take on their Nigerian rivals over two legs in the 2022 World Cup play-offs in March.

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