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Ghana coach Chris Hughton confronted by angry fan after AFCON loss

Chris Hughton has not had the best run since taking over as Ghana boss in March 2023, with just four wins in 11 matches. Omar Vega/Getty Images

An angry supporter confronted Ghana coach Chris Hughton after their upset loss at the Africa Cup of Nations finals on Sunday, team officials confirmed on Monday.

Ghana were beaten by a stoppage time goal by the Cape Verde Islands, the smallest of the 24 teams at the tournament in the Ivory Coast in one of several shock results on Sunday.

Hughton was accosted at the team hotel as Ghana returned from the match, but the angry fan was intercepted by security officials.

Ghana team spokesperson Henry Asante played down the incident, telling ESPN: 'It was the normal thing that happens when a team loses a game. The fan confronted the coach and asked him to either improve or leave the job.

"There was no physical altercation. He was later taken out of the hotel by security guys on duty. It's that simple."

It was a second successive defeat by an underrated opponent after Ghana lost in November in the World Cup qualifiers to the Comoros Islands.

"We are incredibly, hugely disappointed with the result. We came into the game with a game plan," Hughton told a press conference.

"We changed the way of playing, the system a bit so that we could start on the front foot. We thought the team that were put out was certainly a more offensive team. This was our intention.

"I think it rocked us the (first) goal that we conceded but I thought we got back into the game."

Ghana were behind after 17 minutes in a match in which they were highly fancied and fielded a team full of players based at European clubs. They equalised in the second half but were beaten by a stoppage time strike from Garry Rodrigues.

"At that stage (when Ghana equalised) it looked like we could go on and win it. We are hugely, hugely disappointed with our result," Hughton said.

"And I know, and this group of players also know, how the Ghanaian people see this game, see this tournament and our expectations going into this one."

Former Ireland international Hughton, whose father hailed from Ghana, has been coach of the team since March, having helped them at the 2022 World Cup finals in Qatar as a technical advisor. His record is four wins in 11 games.

ESPN reporter Colin Udoh contributed to this report.