CHAN 2014: Anobaah helps Ghana sink Congo ship as Libya stun Ethiopia to top group

Bloemfontein

Ghana beat Congo 1-0 in an Orange African Nations Championship (Chan) Group C encounter at Free State Stadium in Bloemfontein on Monday evening.

Theophilus Anobaah’s 35th-minute strike proved to be enough as the Black Stars edged the Red Devils.

Stephen Adams started between the sticks for the Black Stars, with starlet Sulley Mohammed spearheading the attack. Asante Kotoko midfielder Jordan Opoku captained the side.

Seventeen-year-old Bersyl Ngatsongo Obassi started up front for the Red Devils, while former Golden Arrows midfielder Kevine Andzouana skippered the side.

The game got off to an electric start with both sides piling forward in search of the opener.

The first chance of the encounter fell to Congo striker Bersyl Ngatsongo whose driving effort from close range went narrowly wide of Adams’s left-hand post in the fourth minute.

Congo’s Gildas Mouyaki was forced into a good save in the 10th minute to keep out a stinging effort from Ghanaian Yahaya Mohammed before Nuru Sulley’s scuffed effort from close range grazed Moyaki’s post five minutes later.

Ghana opened the scoring in the 35th minute through Theophilus Anobaah in rather fortunate circumstances. The midfielder’s feeble strike struck Andzouana before ricocheting of his knee and ending up in the back of the net.

 Congo pressed forward in search of the equaliser and went within inches of doing so in quick succession.

Meanwhile, goals from Elmutasem Abushnaf and Abdel Salam Omar gave Libya a perfect start as they beat Ethiopia 2-0 in Bloemfontein in their African Nations Championship Group C encounter on Monday.

Ethiopia made their Chan debut after an exciting showing in South Africa just a year ago at the Africa Nations Cup.

Libya, meanwhile, returned to the competition for the second time since the inaugural 2009 tournament in Ivory Coast where they failed to make it out of the group stage.

It was Libya who took an early lead when Elmutasem Abushnaf ran into the danger area before unleashing a thunderbolt past Jemal Bushra via the post from a tight angle.

For the opening 25 minutes the young Libyan outfit continued to impress, carving out openings and showing the Ethiopian defence to be shaky at times.

In the 27th minute Ethiopia did get into a good position when Demessie turned and volleyed from a tight angle inside the danger area, but his shot could not find the target.     

     —Supersport.com