The Ghana national amputee football team was handed their first defeat in group A at the ongoing para games when they were defeated 2-1 by Morocco in their second group stage game at the UPSA Astroturf Stadium on Wednesday night.

The host nation was in high spirits going into the fixture after trouncing Uganda 7-0 in their opening group game of the tournament but were left to chase the game for the majority of regulation time as they went in search of all three points that would've guaranteed them qualification to the next round.

Despite both teams trading promising attacks in the opening exchanges of the game, it was Morocco that took the crucial lead in the first half, Ilyass Sbiyaa finding the back of the Ghana post with an outstanding free kick, a lead the North Africans will defend going into the break.

Ghana drew level right after the break, Mubarak Mohammed sending the home fans into delirium with a spectacular freekick to tie the game for the hosts.

Both teams looked like settling for a point apiece until Morocco rewarded themselves with their relentless attitude deep into the second half, Mohammed Elhafta scoring a sublime goal to give the Moroccans all three points.

Speaking to the press after the dramatic win, the captain for Morocco, Mohcine Chrharh, congratulated his teammates for the hard-fought win. He added, “We are very happy to win against Ghana. They won the last African Cup and we know very well they are a good side. It wasn't an easy win but we hope to send Gold back home.”

Head coach for Ghana, Stephen Richard Obeng, also speaking after the match said, “We knew it was not going to be an easy game despite our good preparations. I'm proud of the boys and the performance they put up. Now we turn our focus to the game against Liberia since it’s a must-win game for us to qualify for the knockout stages.”

The win for Morocco means they become the first team to qualify for the next round after winning their first two games, while Ghana will face off against Liberia in their last group-stage game, with the host nation needing to avoid defeat to sail through to the next round.