Emmanuel Agyemang-Badu has opened up about the devastating aftermath of the Black Stars’ loss in the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) final, describing the team as “totally dead” following the defeat.
Ghana had a rocky start to the tournament, suffering a 2-1 defeat to Senegal in their opening group match.
However, the Black Stars bounced back with a 1-0 victory over Algeria and a 2-1 win against South Africa to secure a spot in the knockout stage.
In the quarterfinals, they cruised past Guinea with a 3-0 win before defeating host nation Equatorial Guinea by the same score line to set up a showdown with Ivory Coast in the final.
After a goalless draw in regulation time, Ghana took the advantage in the penalty shootout when the Ivorians missed their first two attempts.
But the tide turned as Afriyie Acquah, Frank Acheampong, and goalkeeper Razak Brimah failed to convert their kicks, allowing Ivory Coast to stage a comeback and eventually win 9-8 in the dramatic shootout.
Reflecting on the painful defeat, Agyemang-Badu told Sporty FM, “We were totally dead after the AFCON 2015 final.
“I’ve never seen a team lose a penalty shootout after leading 2-0. I still can’t understand what happened,” the U-20 FIFA World Cup winner added.
Since that heartbreak, the Black Stars have struggled on the continental stage. After consecutive group-stage eliminations in recent tournaments, Ghana failed to qualify for the 2025 AFCON, set to take place in Morocco later this year.