Ghanaian players and fans were left downcast and in tears after the Black Stars suffered a group stage exit at the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast.

This makes it a second consecutive edition of the AFCON that Ghana have suffered a humiliating exit from the competition without making it to the knockout stages, since losing to Tunisia on penalties in the round of 16 at the 2019 edition in Egypt.

In a group that has Cape Verde and Mozambique, the Ghanaians, alongside Egypt, were favourites to qualify from the group but a 2-1 loss to Cape Verde on the opening day plus 2-2 draws to Egypt and Mozambique respectively meant the Black Stars managed only two points out of a possible nine.

In their last two games, the West Africans led 2-0 in both fixtures before their opponents came back to steal points from them.

Ghana goalkeeper, Richard Ofori, and the Ayew brothers Andre and Jordan were singled out by the fans for criticisms, while other fans have consoled Mohammed Kudus, who scored a brace against Egypt.

This exit extends Ghana’s long wait for a fifth AFCON trophy since they last won it in 1982.

And in a viral video, the fans vented their anger on the team by smashing windows of the bus which was conveying the players out of the Alassane Ouattara Stadium.