Jordan Ayew’s 12-year penalty streak for Ghana ends after miss against Somalia

Ghana captain Jordan Ayew has seen his 12-year penalty-scoring record for the Black Stars come to an end after missing from the spot in the team's 2-0 victory over Somalia in the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers.

READ ALSO: Black Stars player ratings vs Somalia – Afena-Gyan 7.8, Kudus 8.0, Jordan Ayew average

Jordan failed to convert an early penalty in the 14th minute of Thursday's Group C encounter at the Essipong Sports Stadium in Sekondi.

Ghana were awarded the spot-kick after defender Alidu Seidu was brought down inside Somalia's penalty area. However, Somalia’s goalkeeper Ibrahim Ahmed Hussein, denied the Black Stars an early lead.

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The miss ended Ayew's record of successfully converting penalties for Ghana since 2014. It was his first penalty miss in 10 attempts for the national team, having scored his previous nine.

Ayew has established himself as one of Ghana's reliable penalty takers. He scored twice from the spot in Ghana's 2-2 draw against Mozambique at the 2023 AFCON in January 2024.

However, the missed opportunity did not prevent Ghana from securing all three points.

Defender Jonas Adjetey broke the deadlock with a header in first-half stoppage time after Mohammed Salisu returned Mohammed Kudus' corner into the danger area.

READ ALSO: Black Stars of Ghana beat Somalia to secure first 3 points in 2027 AFCON qualifiers

Felix Afena-Gyan doubled Ghana's advantage in the 62nd minute after being set up by Kudus, sealing a 2-0 victory for the Black Stars.

The result gave Ghana their first 3 points in the AFCON 2027 qualifying campaign after opening Group C defeats against Côte d'Ivoire and The Gambia.

The team, led by interim coach Kim Lars Bjorkegren, will face Somalia again on Monday, November 16, at the same stadium.