Ghana’s attacking options shrink further ahead of November’s Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Somalia, with the team already bottom of its group.
Ghana forward Antoine Semenyo faces about eight weeks on the sidelines with a knee injury, a setback that takes him out of the Black Stars squad for a qualifier Ghana cannot afford to lose.
The injury happened late in Manchester City's 3-2 Premier League win over Ipswich Town at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday, as reported by Daily Guide Network. Semenyo had only come on in the 77th minute, replacing Belgian-Ghanaian winger Jeremy Doku.
Scan brought some relief
City head coach Enzo Maresca gave the update while previewing his side's UEFA Champions League fixture against AEK Athens. Several players picked up knocks in the Ipswich game, among them Erling Haaland, Nico O'Reilly, Matheus Nunes and Mateo Kovacic, but Maresca said Semenyo was the only one looking at a long spell out.
"The only one that will be out for probably eight weeks is Antoine," the coach said. He added that the club had initially feared something far worse, and that a scan had eased those worries.
Maresca also struck an optimistic note about the forward's return, saying that when Semenyo comes back around December he will be "like a new player in terms of energy".
The win was City's seventh in a row at the start of the 2026/27 campaign. Semenyo has contributed two goals and three assists in nine appearances in all competitions this season.
What it means for the Black Stars
The timing is bad for Ghana. The Black Stars face Somalia in November in the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers, and they sit bottom of their group with no points after two matches.
Ghana lost 2-0 to Cote d'Ivoire and then went down 4-2 to The Gambia. Semenyo missed both of those games with an ankle problem, so the national team has still not had him available in this qualifying campaign.
That leaves the technical team searching for answers in attack. With zero points on the board, anything less than a win against Somalia would leave Ghana's path to the 2027 tournament looking very narrow.
For Ghanaians following from abroad
For fans in the United States and elsewhere who plan their weekends around Premier League kick-offs and Black Stars match days, the practical point is simple: Semenyo is not expected back on the pitch before December. That rules him out of the November international window entirely.
The focus now shifts to who steps into the wide attacking role, and whether the Black Stars can turn their campaign around without one of their most productive forwards.
