Ghana fans rejoiced as star man Mohammed Kudus missed a late penalty to cap off a disastrous African Cup of Nations qualifying campaign. 

West Ham attacker Mohammed Kudus’ season has gone from bad to worse this week as his disaster last few weeks has followed him on International duty. After a 1-1 draw with Angola on Friday, Ghana’s fate was sealed, they had failed to qualify for AFCON for the first time in 20 years. The Black Stars finished bottom of their qualifying group without a win in six matches.

On Monday, Ghana closed out their AFCON qualifying campaign with yet another defeat as they hosted Niger at home. The hosts were awarded a penalty in the closing stages and it was captain Mohammed Kudus who stepped up to restore any pride the team had left.

However, the Black Stars fans didn’t see it like that, they chanted ‘away’ – meaning miss – repeatedly to show their disdain with the performances and results. Kudus had his penalty saved by the goalkeeper and the stadium erupted with ironic celebrations. It has been described as the biggest show of disapproval ever for the National team.

While the chants were not aimed at Kudus personally, the captain will almost certainly take a lot of the blame for his nation’s awful form. Some Ghanaians are even blaming the ‘cursed’ number 10 shirt. The shirt has been worn by some of their most talented players over the years and they have never really performed and it seems to be no different for their new star.

West Ham fans were hoping Mohammed Kudus would have an excellent time away with his country after a very poor month or so at West Ham. To make matters worse, Kudus was originally scheduled to return from the ban for his red card vs Tottenham on Monday for the clash against Newcastle. However, his ban got extended from three matches to five matches meaning he will now also miss the upcoming Newcastle and Arsenal fixtures.