...Lawal late show sees Nigeria into Nations Cup semis
BAMAKO, Nigeria won through to the semi-finals of the African Nations Cup here Sunday after a late strike by midfielder Garba Lawal gave his team a 1-0 win over bitter rivals Ghana.
Lawal crashed home a thunderous shot 10 minutes from full-time at the March 26 Stadium to send the Group A winners into a semi-final on Thursday against either Senegal or Egypt, who play on Monday.
The winner came when Nigeria striker Julius Aghahowa broke away down the right and crossed.
Ghana's defence could only clear as far as Lawal, who unleashed his unstoppable rocket past the despairing dive of Black Stars 'keeper Sammy Adjej. The stunning goal sealed what until then had been a subdued encounter between two of the fiercest rivals in African football.
Extra-time appeared to be looming, particularly when Nigeria's Arsenal star Nwankwo Kanu wasted a glorious opportunity to give his side the lead shortly before Lawal's winner.
Aghahowa had again broken clear after a slip by Ghana's Kofi Amponsah and squared to an unmarked Kanu, who somehow scooped his shot over the bar.
Ghana, who had scraped into the last eight from Group B with a remarkable win over Burkina Faso last week, had until then weathered steady second-half pressure from Nigeria, with keeper Adjej outstanding.
Adjej was called upon time and again by Ghana, and had stopped a certain goal with a brilliant reflex block from Lawal on 71 minutes.
Nigeria narrowly had the better of a a cat-and-mouse first half interrupted for several minutes when the Super Eagles' goalkeeper Ike Shorunmu was knocked unconscious in a 34th-minute collision with defender Isaac Okoronkwo. Shorunmu, who was replaced by the inexperienced Murphy Akanji, was stretchered off and whisked out of the stadium by an ambulance as worried players from both sides looked on.
Shortly afterwards Nigeria had two good scoring chances.
Skipper Sunday Oliseh saw a venomous long-range free-kick tipped over by Adjej and just before half-time Aghahowa should have done better with a free header that drifted wide.
Earlier, Ipswich Town midfielder Finidi George had also forced an athletic stop from Adjej after unleashing a powerful shot from just outside the penalty area. At the other end, Ghana's best chance had come on 21 minutes when Panathinaikos midfielder Dereck Boateng spun away from the hapless Okoronkwo before firing low into the side netting.
Okoronkwo's shaky first-half performance was compounded when he was booked for clattering into Boakye just after 20 minutes.
Nigeria: Shorunmu (Akanji 34), Yobo, Udeze, Okoronkwo, West, Oliseh, George (Alyegbeni 89), Lawal, Okocha (Oruma 89) Kanu, Aghahowa
Ghana: Adjei, E Kuffour, Mensah, Mirekwu, Amoako, Boateng, Boakye, Owusu-Ansah, Amponsah, Ibrahim, Pantsil
Booked: Udeze, Okoronkwo (Nigeria)
Referee: Guezzaz (Morocco)
...Lawal late show sees Nigeria into Nations Cup semis
BAMAKO, Nigeria won through to the semi-finals of the African Nations Cup here Sunday after a late strike by midfielder Garba Lawal gave his team a 1-0 win over bitter rivals Ghana.
Lawal crashed home a thunderous shot 10 minutes from full-time at the March 26 Stadium to send the Group A winners into a semi-final on Thursday against either Senegal or Egypt, who play on Monday.
The winner came when Nigeria striker Julius Aghahowa broke away down the right and crossed.
Ghana's defence could only clear as far as Lawal, who unleashed his unstoppable rocket past the despairing dive of Black Stars 'keeper Sammy Adjej. The stunning goal sealed what until then had been a subdued encounter between two of the fiercest rivals in African football.
Extra-time appeared to be looming, particularly when Nigeria's Arsenal star Nwankwo Kanu wasted a glorious opportunity to give his side the lead shortly before Lawal's winner.
Aghahowa had again broken clear after a slip by Ghana's Kofi Amponsah and squared to an unmarked Kanu, who somehow scooped his shot over the bar.
Ghana, who had scraped into the last eight from Group B with a remarkable win over Burkina Faso last week, had until then weathered steady second-half pressure from Nigeria, with keeper Adjej outstanding.
Adjej was called upon time and again by Ghana, and had stopped a certain goal with a brilliant reflex block from Lawal on 71 minutes.
Nigeria narrowly had the better of a a cat-and-mouse first half interrupted for several minutes when the Super Eagles' goalkeeper Ike Shorunmu was knocked unconscious in a 34th-minute collision with defender Isaac Okoronkwo. Shorunmu, who was replaced by the inexperienced Murphy Akanji, was stretchered off and whisked out of the stadium by an ambulance as worried players from both sides looked on.
Shortly afterwards Nigeria had two good scoring chances.
Skipper Sunday Oliseh saw a venomous long-range free-kick tipped over by Adjej and just before half-time Aghahowa should have done better with a free header that drifted wide.
Earlier, Ipswich Town midfielder Finidi George had also forced an athletic stop from Adjej after unleashing a powerful shot from just outside the penalty area. At the other end, Ghana's best chance had come on 21 minutes when Panathinaikos midfielder Dereck Boateng spun away from the hapless Okoronkwo before firing low into the side netting.
Okoronkwo's shaky first-half performance was compounded when he was booked for clattering into Boakye just after 20 minutes.
Nigeria: Shorunmu (Akanji 34), Yobo, Udeze, Okoronkwo, West, Oliseh, George (Alyegbeni 89), Lawal, Okocha (Oruma 89) Kanu, Aghahowa
Ghana: Adjei, E Kuffour, Mensah, Mirekwu, Amoako, Boateng, Boakye, Owusu-Ansah, Amponsah, Ibrahim, Pantsil
Booked: Udeze, Okoronkwo (Nigeria)
Referee: Guezzaz (Morocco)