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That was a totally enthralling encounter! When I saw the AFCON fixture, a four-goal thriller wasn't what I expected, but that was what we got as the Benin national team matched the Black Stars of Ghana on the day, pound for pound.
We got a taste of what's to come early on as some lax defending by the Black Stars saw Benin striker, Pote, latching onto a through ball and carving open two Ghanaian defenders before poking the ball past an onrushing Richard Ofori.
The Ghanaian skipper, Andre 'Dede' Ayew responded 7 minutes later with a beautiful strike from just inside the Benin penalty area. His brother Jordan Ayew put Ghana in the lead just before half time, as Benin's Olivier Verdon failed to intercept a pass.
Probably the biggest sticking point of the game was Ghana's John Boye being sent off after incurring the referee's wrath by wasting time on a free kick.
Benin made the numerical advantage count when Mickael Pote scored the equaliser from a corner kick situation, blasting the ball home to the dismay of the Ghanaian goal guardians all around him.
It was a truly thrilling match which could have gone either way. Here we discuss three reasons why the Black Stars had to share the spoils.
#3 Early game jitters
Okay, we'll put that poor start for Ghana down to nervousness. The Black Stars go into the tournament with the weighty expectations of the football-loving Ghanaian population on their shoulders, and that's quite a burden to bear, especially when the team has been termed 'one of the favourites'.
Sometimes it takes a couple of game minutes for the butterflies to settle, but that didn't come soon enough for the Black Stars, as Benin's Mickael Pote capitalised on slack defending, expertly putting Benin ahead in the game very early on.
That start put Ghana at an obvious disadvantage, and perhaps calmer nerves at the start could have seen the game turn out differently.
#2 Numerical disadvantage
The Black Stars of Ghana were in the lead just after half time, then disaster struck, as John Boye was sent off for time wasting. He received a second yellow card from the Tunisian referee for needless time wasting, to the consternation of his teammates, and perhaps that turned the tide in favour of the Squirrels of Benin.
The Black Stars were clearly in the ascendancy, with two well-taken strikes from the Ayew brothers putting them in the lead going into half time.
What prompted John Boye to dilly dally with the ball isn't clear, as the final whistle was still a long while away. Whether you put the card down to silly behaviour on the past of John Boye or simply high handedness on the part of the referee, the Black Stars clearly missed their 11th man and were made to pay dearly in the end.
On the biggest stages, the little things matter, as just a slight tilt could make the pendulum swing either way.
#1 Clinical Mickael Pote
We can talk about early game jitters, lax defending, and a numerical disadvantage all day, but if chances aren't taken, all that doesn't matter.
Luckily for the Squirrels of Benin, they had in their ranks a cool-headed finisher ready to go the whole nine yards when given a whiff of an opportunity - and so he did. Two well-taken strikes either side of half time was all it took to share the spoils with the more fancied Ghanaians.
In the 1st minute, Mickael Pote pounced on a through ball before running full throttle towards the Ghanaian goal area. He then expertly carved open two onrushing opposition defenders and poked the ball past a bewildered Richard Ofori.
In the 62nd minute, Pote was on hand again to fire Benin into the game via a well-worked corner. The striker guided the ball past the Ghanaian keeper after latching onto a low driven pass, earning the Squirrels their second ever AFCON point.
The Ghanaians will need to bring their A-game when they take on the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon next.
