DR Congo and Ghana kicked off their U-20 AFCON campaigns with a hard-fought 1-1 draw in Group C action at the Suez Stadium on Thursday.
The Congolese broke the deadlock just past the quarter-hour mark when Samuel Ntanda latched onto a clever pass from Messy Manitu and finished clinically to give DR Congo the lead.
But Ghana quickly responded. In the 24th minute, Emmanuel Mensah unlocked the DR Congo backline with a sharp through ball, and Aziz Musibau kept his cool to fire in the equalizer.
Chances came at both ends in the second half, but the teams failed to capitalize. DR Congo looked more aggressive in attack but couldn’t find the finishing touch. Ghana stayed compact at the back and looked dangerous on the break, though their efforts fell short in the final third.
The match ended with both teams taking a point from the encounter. Ghana’s next challenge is against Senegal, while DR Congo will aim to get their first win when they take on the Central African Republic.
