Ghana will have to wait for four years to try and qualify for the Olympic Games again after a penalty shootout heartbreak cost them a place in Tokyo 2020.
Black Meteors, who were chasing their first Olympic Games qualification since 2004, missed out after losing the Africa U-23 Cup of Nations third-place play-off tie against South Africa.
Ibrahim Tanko’s side had missed out on automatic qualification following a penalty shootout defeat to Ivory Coast on Tuesday and they suffered the same fate on Friday at the Cairo International Stadium.
The Meteors lost 6-5 on penalties to South Africa, after the game finished 2-2.
Ghana defender Habib Mohamed scored in his own net at the quarter-hour mark as South Africa finished the first half with 1-0 lead.
Ghana returned much stronger, and five minutes after the break they equalized through Evans Mensah, who hit sent a curling shot into the net.
But the South Africans responded immediately. Two minutes after the hour mark, the substitute Kamohelo Mhlatsi who barely spent a minute on the pitch restored their lead.
And when it looked all set for South Africa’s win, Ghana scored a late equalizer courtesy Samuel Obeng. The game was then sent directly to penalty shootout to determine the winner.
The shootout saw both sides missing twice, before South Africa’s goalkeeper Mpoto saved Michael Agbekpornu kick to send his side to Tokyo.
