It was a nightmare afternoon on Saturday for Jordan Ayew and Leicester City as the Foxes slumped to a disappointing 2-0 home defeat against Charlton Athletic, a result punctuated by a historic personal failure for the Ghanaian captain.
In a match defined by missed opportunities and early disciplinary collapses, Ayew’s 56th-minute penalty miss stood as the afternoon’s turning point, marking the first time in his professional club career that the veteran forward failed to convert from the spot.
The stage was perfectly set for a Leicester comeback early in the second half.
Trailing 2-0, the Foxes were handed a lifeline when Abdul Fatawu Issahaku—Ayew’s fellow countryman—delivered a moment of pure individual brilliance.
Issahaku’s spectacular dribble carved through the Charlton defence, forcing a desperate foul inside the box.
Ayew, known for his clinical composure from 12 yards, stepped up to take the responsibility.
He successfully sent the Charlton goalkeeper the wrong way, but in a rare lapse of precision, his strike rattled off the post and stayed out. The miss silenced the King Power Stadium and preserved Charlton’s two-goal cushion.
Leicester’s uphill battle began long before the penalty drama.
The hosts were hamstrung just 15 minutes into the contest when Caleb Okoli was shown a straight red card, leaving the Foxes to play 75 minutes with only ten men.
Charlton Athletic wasted little time in exploiting their numerical advantage.
Sonny Carey broke the deadlock in the 36th minute, firing home from close range after a sequence of poor defending from the hosts left the Leicester backline exposed.
The visitors tightened their grip on the game just before the interval.
Lyndon Dykes doubled the advantage, effectively sealing the three points for Charlton and leaving Leicester with a mountain to climb in the second half.
Ayew was eventually replaced late in the game by Zambian international Patson Daka, ending a frustrating afternoon for the Ghana star.
