Ghana fails to qualify for All African Games

Ghana's Black Meteors failed to qualify for September's All-Africa Games in South Africa as they drew 0-0 with the Elephants of Cote d'Ivoire in the final match of the Supreme Council for Sports in Africa Zone three soccer tournament at the Accra Sports Stadium.

The two teams finished the four-nation competition with five points apiece at the top from three matches but the Ivorians had a better goal aggregate, which enabled them to snatch to lone spot for the Zone.

But before kick-off, the Cameroonian referee, Njike Gilbert had to force the Ivorians, who apparently had planned to play delay tactics, to get closer for the start of the game. In the Process, skipper Tidiane Youssouf was booked. The Meteors went all out from the blast of the referee's whistle but they were so anxious that each time they came close they fumbled.

Fameyeh, who was in a good position to shoot the Meteors into a second-minute lead, forced everybody to be on his feet to welcome the goal but his close-range shot missed the upright narrowly. Backed by their drum-beating home fans, the Ghanaians increased the tempo with an unrelenting 20-minute raid but the Ivorians managed to contain the two top strikers, Fameyeh and Osei Kwame from causing any harm.

The visitors gained their rhythm from then on with petit midfielder N'da Kouabio Rene and Skipper Tidiane making things difficult for the Ghanaians in midfield. Striker Koutouan nearly put his side ahead in the 37th minute when he capitalized on a poor marking to send a close-range shot but it was pushed to safety by goalkeeper Osei Boateng.

The Ivorians slackened their game in the second half by killing time resulting referee Gilbert Youssouf Marko and Goalkeeper Coulibaly Mamadou the yellow card in the 50th and 87th minutes. The Meteors took absolute control of the game but hard luck robbed them from putting the ball behind the Ivorians' net.

Coach Giusseppe Dossena brought on two more attackers- Lawrence Aidoo and Kwame Ali in the 53rd and 82nd minutes in place of defenders Kofi Amoako and Edmund Copson but the gallant Elephants kept them at bay till the end.

In the Golden Eagles of Nigeria and the Stallions of Burkina Faso, they settled for a 3-3 draw in their final match of the SCSA Zone Three elimination tournament played before the Ghana Cote d'Ivoire encounter. The Eagles, playing with 10 men a minute after the break, got their goals through Yakubu Ajegeni in the 24th and 77th minutes and Emmanuel Ebiede in the 32nd minute while the Stallions scored through Amadou Toure in the 34th and 47th minutes and Narcisse Yameogo in the 69th minute.