- Daniel Amartey plays from start to finish as Ghana are beaten 1-0 by Morocco
- The Black Stars opened their 2021 Africa Cup of Nations campaign on Monday
- Sofiane Boufal scored the only goal of the game with a minute to play
The Black Stars faced the Atlas Lions in Yaounde, Cameroon’s capital, as they got their Group C journey underway with a late defeat following former Southampton attacker Sofiane Boufal’s effort on 83 minutes.
Amartey, the first to represent the Foxes at AFCON this month, played the full 90 minutes for his nation, earning international cap no.34.
However, he couldn’t prevent Ghana – four-time AFCON champions – from slipping to a slender reverse at the hands of Morocco, who also won the tournament in 1976. Amartey’s nation next tackle Gabon at the same venue on Friday 14 January.
Earlier in the day, midfielder Papy Mendy did not feature in the matchday squad as Senegal earned a late victory against Zimbabwe courtesy of Sadio Mané’s 97th-minute penalty.
Nigeria duo Wilfred Ndidi and Kelechi Iheanacho, meanwhile, could play when the Super Eagles face Egypt in Garoua on Tuesday.