An angry supporter attempted to throw a punch at Ghana coach Chris Hughton after their shock defeat at the Africa Cup of Nations, team officials have confirmed.

Ghana were beaten by a stoppage time goal by Cape Verde, one of the smallest of the 24 teams at AFCON in one of several shock results on Sunday.

Hughton was accosted at the team hotel as Ghana returned from the match but the angry fan was intercepted by security officials, before being taken away by local police.

Hughton was also subjected to a volley of a verbal abuse, officials told Reuters.

Ghana team media liaison Henry Asante said: "The fan approached the coach to express his disappointment at the outcome of the game and told the coach to improve or leave the job. It was a verbal confrontation. There was no physical contact. Later he was taken away by the security."

It was a second successive defeat to a minnow of the African game after Ghana lost to Comoros in November's World Cup qualifiers.

"We are incredibly, hugely disappointed with the result," Hughton told a press conference after the game, but before the attack.

" We came into the game with a game plan. We changed the way of playing, the system a bit so that we could start on the front foot.

"We thought the team that were put out was certainly a more offensive team. This was our intention. I think it rocked us, the [first] goal that we conceded, but I thought we got back into the game."

Ghana were behind after 17 minutes in a match in which they were highly fancied and fielded a team full of players based at European clubs.

They equalised in the second half but were beaten by a stoppage time strike from Garry Rodrigues.

"At that stage [when Ghana equalised] it looked like we could go on and win it - we are hugely, hugely disappointed," Hughton said.

"And I know, and this group of players also know, how the Ghanaian people see this game, see this tournament and our expectations going into this one."

Former Republic of Ireland international Hughton, whose father hailed from Ghana, has been coach of the team since March, having helped them at the 2022 World Cup finals in Qatar as a technical advisor. His record stands at four wins in 11 games.