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MOROCCO SCORE LATE TO BEAT GHANA

Morocco’s Sofiane Boufal seized on a loose ball to score seven minutes from time and secure a 1-0 win over Ghana in their opening Group C match at the Africa Cup of Nations on Monday.

Boufal hammered home from close range after a mazy run into the penalty area from Zakaria Aboukhlal that saw him tease the Ghana defence, only to be checked by Thomas Partey, with the ball then running perfectly for Boufal to score.

The goal came from a rare chance in a game where both sides showed defensive prowess but did little to impress in attack.

Both countries are looking to end a long wait for success in the continental championship but showed little early sign of making an impact at the tournament in Cameroon, admittedly after disrupted preparations.

Boufal’s goal did open up a cagey affair and Morocco had two more decent chances as captain Romain Saiss headed wide after an 87th minute free kick and then in stoppage time Ghana’s keeper Joe Wollacott stopped a blistering shot from close range.

Until then, there had only been two opportunities for Ghana.

Joseph Paintsil hit a goal-bound shot towards the top corner in the 70th minute only for Morocco goalkeeper Yassine Bounou to turn the effort around the post.

Ghana also had a good set-piece opportunity in the 31st minute but Partey fired his free kick over the bar.

The victory extended to 10 matches Morocco’s winning streak, including all six World Cup qualifiers played between September and November.

Morocco won their only Cup of Nations title in 1976 while Ghana are four-time African champions — the last time in 1982.

The Comoros Islands, making their debut at the tournament, and Gabon play in the second Group C match also in Yaounde later on Monday.

Morocco next play Comoros on Friday followed by Ghana against Gabon in the late game.

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WCQ: HALLER’S BRACE LIFTS IVORY COAST AS SOUTH AFRICA DOWNS GHANA

Ivory Coast striker Sebastien Haller netted both goals to secure a 2-1 home win over Cameroon while South Africa scored late to beat Ghana in two heavyweight clashes in African World Cup qualifying on Monday.

Both victors took an early advantage in their respective groups where only the winners advance to the final phase of qualifying for Qatar 2022.

Haller netted a 20th minute penalty and added a second nine minutes later as he broke free of the visiting defence to give the Ivorians the halftime lead in the Group D clash Abidjan.

But the home side, who were allowed a small crowd to support them after all other African World Cup qualifiers were ordered to be played behind closed doors, had to endure a nervy finish after missing chances when Cameroon pulled one back.

Nicolas Moumi Ngamaleu’s 60th minute penalty handed Cameroon hope before Ivory Coast’s Jean Michael Seri hit the bar with a free kick. Substitute Christian Kouame might have finished Cameroon off in the last five minutes with just the goalkeeper to beat but fluffed the opportunity.

The Ivorians have four points from their first two matches.

South Africa had a first-half effort from Percy Tau controversially ruled offside and then missed two good chances before Bongokuhle Hlongwane’s 83rd minute winner against a Ghana team without six key English-based players.

The absentees did not travel to Johannesburg because South Africa is on the UK government’s COVID-19 ‘red list’ and they would have had to quarantine for 10 days on returning to their clubs.

Hlongwane got an inadvertent touch to a cross seven minutes from time to ensure four points for South Africa from their first two Group G matches.

For a second successive game in Group J, Democratic Republic of Congo’s Dieumerci Mbokani scored to give his side the lead only for hosts Benin to pull level before halftime in Cotonou in the 1-1 draw. Benin have four points with the Congolese on two.

Mali head the Group E standings on four points after the opening two rounds after they played out a 0-0 draw away to Uganda earlier on Monday.

Minnows Djibouti, who conceded eight to Algeria last week in Group A, let in another four as Niger beat them 4-2 in Rabat, Morocco. Both countries had to move their home qualifiers to neutral territory because of the poor state of their stadiums.

Djibouti led at halftime but two goals from Victorien Adebayor saw Niger come back to triumph in a section where Burkina Faso host Algeria on Tuesday in Marrakesh.

Kpah Sherman scored the only goal of the game in Douala as Liberia, coached by Englishman Peter Butler, won 1-0 away to the Central African Republic in Group C.

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AFCON QUALIFIERS: SUDAN STRIKE LATE TO STUN GHANA, RWANDA-CAPE VERDE, LESOTHO-BENIN END GOALESS.

Mohamed Abdel Rahman scored in the second minute of added time as hosts Sudan beat Ghana 1-0 to halt the Black Stars’ qualification party and revive their own hopes of qualifying for the Total Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) to be staged in Cameroon in 2022.
Ghana looked to be headed for qualification with two matches left, the point taking them to 10 points and an unassailable lead. However, Rahman headed home the goal that takes Sudan to six points in Group C and a hope for a first qualification since 2012.

Ghana who prior to the Sudan loss hadn’t tasted defeat in three matches however remain top with nine points, only edging South Africa on goal difference.

With Sao Tome and Principe already out of contention, the race for the group’s two slots are now left for the top three.

Ghana were looking to complete a double over the Sudanese having beaten them 2-0 in the first leg, but they couldn’t complete the job with their top striker and skipper Andre Ayew missing through injury.

Chances were few and far in between with Caleb Ekuban having half a chance after 10 minutes with a shot from the right that went wide. Sudan had a chance after 27 minutes, but Abdel Rahman’s shot from inside the box was saved while his attempt at cutting back the ball from the rebound ended in no man’s land.

Ghana created another chance in the 36th minute Mubarak Wakaso sending Tarique Fosu through with a brilliant defense splitting pass, but the Sudanese keeper was out quick to clear the danger.
Ghana’s forward play was better in the second half and Jordan Ayew, the skipper of the day taking over from his brother, had a shot from range well saved by the Sudanese keeper. On the hour mark, Wakaso had a go at goal with a rasping effort from a freekick which was also saved.

Sudan didn’t create much and their best opportunity was in the 75th minute when Ahmed Hamid Al-Tash’s shot on the half turn inside the box went wide.

Ghana had one last chance to try and break the deadlock, and from another set piece, Ayew saw his effort saved by the keeper.

They were punished in the second minute of added time when Abdel Rahman rose well inside the box to head home a Ramadan Agab cross from the right.

Rwanda 0-0 Cape Verde
At the Stade Nyamirambi in Kigali, hosts Rwanda were held to a frustrating goalless draw by Cape Verde. The Amavubi had to play 62 minutes of the match with 10 men after midfielder Ally Niyonzima was sent off in the 28th minute for a second yellow card.

The Rwandese are yet to score a goal in the qualifiers and had to endure another match without finding the back of the net. Not even the partnership between Jacques Tuyisenge and Meddie Kagere could inspire goals and the duo was substituted early in the second half.

Rwanda are on two points while Cape Verde are on four, same as Mozambique. With two matches remaining and only one slit available, the race is set to go down to the wire.

Lesotho 0-0 Benin
Lesotho’s chances of qualification have meanwhile grown slimmer after being held to a goalless draw by Benin. With the results, Lesotho remain bottom of the group with two points while Benin have moved to seven.

Source: cafonline.com

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AFCON 2021 QUALIFIERS: AYEW BRACE LIFTS GHANA OVER SUDAN AS UGANDA BEAT SOUTH SUDAN.

Andre Ayew marked his 91st match in Ghanaian colours, scoring a sensational brace as the Black Stars beat Sudan 2-0 at the Cape Coast Stadium on Thursday to retain their 100% form in the qualifiers for the 2021 Total Africa Cup of Nations.


Ayew scored his first with an expertly taken freekick in the opening half before adding his second in the 80th minute with a well taken shot from the edge of the box.

The victory sees Ghana move to nine points from the opening three games as they also kept their third successive clean sheet, their journey to Cameroon well in line. Sudan remain third with just three points.

The Ghanaians totally dominated the opening half, bossing 64% of the possession, but only had one goal to show for it. Ayew got the Black Stars ahead after 18 minutes in sizzling fashion, striking a brilliant freekick from the edge of the box that left Sudanese keeper Ali Abdalla dazed.

Though a scrappy start, Ghana always looked dangerous and three minutes before they were ahead, Ayew had a shot trickle wide with his brother Jordan racing into the box to try and throw a boot in.

Sudan’s forays into the Ghanaian final third were limited but had one fruitful one in the 24th minute when Mohamed Abdelrahman raced onto a through ball planted behind the defense, but his final shot hit the side netting.

Ghana should have been 2-0 up on the other end after 28 minutes, but Sudanese keeper Abdalla made a save with his trailing leg to deny Samuel Owusu who had broken into the box after a defense splitting through ball from Tarique Fosu.

Six minutes to the break, Jordan Ayew tried his luck with a shot from distance but it flew over the bar while at the stroke of halftime, his brother Andre thought he had doubled the lead when he headed home from an Owusu cross, but he was adjudged to have fouled a defender on the process.

Sudan came back better structured in the second half and moved the ball around the park better. They should have drawn level in the 58th minute but Abdelrahman’s diving header with only the keeper to beat off an Ahmed Hamid cross went agonizingly wide.

They kept possession, but couldn’t show anything for it. They were made to pay 10 minutes from time when Ayew took on an individual task, dribbling his way to good scoring range at the edge of the box, before unleashing a left footed belter.

Meanwhile in Kampala, hosts Uganda remained top of Group B after leaving it late to beat a resilient South Sudan by a solitary goal to move to seven points after three matches. The Cranes also kept their third clean sheet in a row.

Substitute Halid Lwaliwa bounced the winning header home with five minutes left on the clock after rising highest in a packed box to link up with a Karim Watambala freekick from the left.

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JORDAN AYEW EDGE THOMAS PARTEY TO WIN GHANA FOOTBALL AWARD.

Crystal Palace forward Jordan Ayew has been adjudged 2019 Footballer of the Year by the Sports Writers Association of Ghana (Swag).

The striker beat off competition from new Arsenal signing Thomas Partey and China-based midfielder Mubarak Wakaso in the event held in Accra on Saturday evening.

Currently in Ghana’s camp for October’s international friendly matches against Mali and Qatar, the centre-forward was presented with his award by Ghana Football Association (GFA) president Kurt Edwin Simeon Okraku in Turkey.

The award honours the most outstanding Ghanaian male footballer plying his trade abroad.

“Thank you to Swag Ghana! I’m honoured and grateful to receive the Swag Foreign Footballer of the Year Award,” Ayew has posted on social media.

The former Olympique Marseille man succeeds last year’s award winner Partey, who was also in contention for this year’s prize.

The Swag gong is Ayew’s latest honour after he scooped three at Crystal Palace’s End of Season Awards in July following a fine club campaign.

In his second year with the Eagles, the 29-year-old registered nine goals in 37 Premier League appearances to help the club finish the season in 14th position.

His goal haul won his the club’s top scorer of two season award, in addition to being adjudged the club’s Player of the Season and the Players’ Player of the Season.

This season, however, he is yet to find the back of the net after four rounds of matches.

Ayew also netted twice for Ghana at the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations tournament in Egypt.

On Friday, the striker was in action as Ghana succumbed to a disappointing 3-0 defeat to Mali in a friendly tie.

He will hope to register his first strike of the 2020-21 term in any competition when the Black Stars face 2022 World Cup hosts Qatar in a second friendly game on Monday.