Anobaah goal sinks congo

Ghana opened the Orange African Nations Championship campaign with a narrow 1-0 win over a timid Congo in a Group C match played at Mangaung’s Free State Stadium on Monday January 13. A fortuitous first half strike from Theophilus Anobaah was enough to ensure that the Black Stars pick up all three points.

Congo carved the first real chance of the match on 4th minute when AC Leopards’ Rudy Ndey threaded a delightful ball through to Bersyl Obassi who raced onto the pass and saw his shot agonisingly close, hitting the side netting. Ghana then took over from then on shading early possession and created more chances on goal in the opening stages. Right back Godfred Saka was a busy man plying the right flank with a good measure of success but his crosses in the box did not always get the reward they deserved. Congolese goalkeeper Gildas Mouyaki kept out a goal bound effort from Yahaya Mohamed on 10th minute as the Black Stars bossed the exchanges.

Yahaya went close again with a rasping shot that the keeper did well to save
Sulley Mohammed miscued his shot in the box as Ghana continued breaching the Congolese defence. The Ghanaian pressure eventually paid off when Anobaah racing on a ball from the left flank cut inside his marker and from the edge of the box his shot cannoned off hapless Congolese captain Andzouana Andzouana and loped over Mouyaki ‘s header for the opening goal after 34 minutes.

Congo could have equalised but twice went close first Lorry Nkolo failed to beat Stephen Adams in Ghana goal from 5 meters out and the rebound was eventually cleared by defenders. A few minutes later on 40th minute a Ghanaian defender in a bid to clear from a free-kick headed against his own post and the rebound fell kindly to Congolese centre-back Boris Moubhio Ngounga but he miscued his shot with the goal gapping in-front of him. That’s; the closest Congo came to a goal.

The second half was more of the same though the scoring chances were not as guilt-edged as in the first.

Congo who have not beaten Ghana in a major final tournament struggled to restore parity but did enough to restrict the Black Stars to that slender score-line. Congo made a late surge with a couple of free kicks delivered into the box and some wild shots that were off target all in a bid to salvage something but they had left it rather late and perhaps shown too much respect to the opponents. Whenever they went close Ghana’s defence shut shop and denied them any whiff of the goal.

None of the second half chances came to anything and there would be no addition to the score. Ghana who lost all three matches at CHAN 2011 finals in Sudan have three after the first game of CHAN 2014

Confederation of African Football News