AFCON 2021: Amidst the humiliation and gloom, Djiku stands out for Ghana

Amidst Ghana's humiliation and doom at the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon, defender Alexander Djiku stood tall for the West African giants.

The Strasbourg man emerged as the brightest spot in the Black Stars team despite exiting the tournament at the group stage.

The 27-year-old has won hearts and minds with his consistent and committed performance for the four-time African champions.

The towering centre-back scored a goal in three matches and impressed heavily as the brightest player in the Ghana team.

The defender has been largely hailed by Ghanaians amid calls for the team to be reconstructed round the France-based player and few others, notably Germany-based Daniel Kofi Kyere.

The Black Stars cemented their bottom-ranked status in the group after losing 3-2 to tiny debutants Comoros in Doula on Tuesday night.

The defeat has sparked a wave of anger and controversy in the West African nation with widespread calls for the sacking of Milovan Rajevac and massive reforms.

The Serb was the man to lead the Black Stars to the final in 2010 and the World Cup quarter-finals that same year.

But times are harder for Ghanaian fans after Rajevac could only guide them through to Africa's play-offs for this year's World Cup.

After only topping their qualifying group ahead of South Africa on goals scored, the West African giants are unseeded for the play-off draw - facing one of Senegal, Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria and Nigeria for a place in Qatar.

Ghana's disjointed performances has signaled a new low for Ghana football amid talks for serious reforms in the wake of the shameful output.

The Black Stars lost 1-0 to Morocco before drawing 1-1 with Gabon and losing to tiny Comoros to finish bottom of group C with just a point.

Although the defeat on Tuesday was a new low for Ghana, their disjointed performances were cause for concern in the lead-up to the match.

Having failed to win an AFCON title since 1982, Rajevac is under serious pressure after returning for a second spell in charge in September.