Yiadom, Tekpetey make Ghana bow

The duo finally made their long-awaited maiden appearance for the Black Stars in the narrow defeat to the Pharaohs on Wednesday

Barnsley defender Andy Yiadom and Schalke youngster Bernard Tekpetey made their international bow in Ghana's 1-0 defeat to Egypt in the last group game of the Africa Cup of Nations on Wednesday.

Yiadom, 25, was handed a starting role at the right-back, three months after making a nationality switch. Although, his performance was impressive, he could do little as Ghana's winning streak in the tournament came to a halt.

Roma forward Mohamed Salah opened the scoring for Egypt in the 11th minute, after Abdallah El Said won a free-kick on the edge of Ghana box following a tackle from John Boye.

Tekpetey came off the bench with 21 minutes remaining, replacing Emmanuel Agyemang Badu but his efforts were thwarted by the Pharaohs’ back four. His frustration saw him picking a yellow card after a rough play on an opponent.

Former Wafa striker Samuel Tetteh, who made his Black Stars debut against Comoros in December 2015, played his first Afcon game on Wednesday after replacing Jordan Ayew in the starting line up.

"Yiadom and the others showed that they could integrate into the game and make positive impact for the nation in the future," Grant said.

"I'm really impressed because on their debuts they committed few mistakes and showed class. I hope to see more from them whenever they get another chance because they are superstars in the making," he added.

Ghana will lock horns with Congo DR in the quarterfinals on Sunday in Oyem and the winner will face the winner between Senegal and Cameroon in the Semi-finals.