It could not have gone any worse for the Black Stars of Ghana at their Africa Cup of Nations game against Senegal on Tuesday.
In the game's prematch conference, Ghana coach Avram Grant had expressed his regret at not being able to field Asamoah Gyan, who was down with malaria, but still stated his confidence that his men could find their way past the Lions of Teranga without the talisman.
And it appeared to be so, at least during the opening stages of the match, with Andrew Ayew netting cooly from the spot after Atsu was brought down in the Senegal box. The Senegalese fought back, though, registering a headed equalizer through Stoke forward Mame Biram Diouf.
In the absence of finisher-in-chief Gyan, Ghana's second half performance suggested the stars were ready to settle for a 1-1 draw. The Senegalese, however, had other ideas.
Boom! Senegal's Moussa Sow scores 4 seconds from time to drown Ghana:
