Accra, May 15, GNA - Dansoman-Liberty Professionals on Saturday managed to recorded a hard earned slim 3-2 win over Stade du' Tunisien of Tunisia in their first leg of the Confederations Cup competition match at the Accra Sports Stadium. Though the Ghanaians won the match, the slim score line has put their chances of advancing to the next stage on a tight rope as they are likely to face a daunting task in the second leg scheduled for Tunisia in two weeks time.
The Ghanaians could have shattered the dreams of the Tunisians in the first three minutes of the game by banging in at least two goals but David Boateng on three occasions failed to connect crosses from wingers Micheal Helegbe and Jonathan Quartey.
Stade who played a more relaxed game, opened the scores in the fourth minute when Ziadi Tarak plucked the ball from the foot of Liberty's central defender, David Addo and moved deep into the goal area of the home team before laying a perfect pass on the path of unmarked Dassi Bessam to shoot pass keeper Patrick Antwi. The goal brought some urgency in the play of the Ghanaians who from then begun to swing their passes together and rightly found the equaliser through Felix Baffoe in the 27th minute from a goalmouth melee.
The game took a balanced pattern, but it was the Tunisians who made occasional attempts at scoring with fast breaks with Tarak and Bessam remaining a constant threat to the defence of Liberty, but they were unable to find the net. Liberty could have taken a lead before the close of the first half but their key man Helegbe, was unlucky as his intelligent cross hit the cross bar in the 45th minute to end the half on a goal apiece.
Liberty on resumption surprisingly adopted a lackadaisical approach to the game until the 55th minute when they rediscovered their form and mounted an intensive pressure on their opponents in search of the leader, but Boateng, Addo and Baffoe again were on nerves and missed the targets when the chances fell their way. They continued to maintain the pressure on the Tunisians and were rightly rewarded with a penalty in the 68th minute when Boussaidi Anis handled the ball in his vital area.
Boateng made no mistake by converting the kick to put his side ahead in the 78th minute after series of protests from the visitors, but they managed to cancel the lead in the same fashion as referee Buenkadila Bisinga Rene of Democratic Republic of Congo whistled for a penalty when Liberty's keeper Antwi brought down Tarak in the vital area in an attempt to save a sticky situation. The Dansoman boys after an intensive struggle, however managed to restore their lead through Baffoe in the 90th minute after the Liberty attack had stormed their opponent's area with much pressure. The third goal could have gingered the Ghanaians to score at least one more goal, but it was too late for them as the referee brought the game to a close few minutes after the goal.
Line Up:
(LIBERTY)- Patrick Antwi, Wahid Mohamed, Agyeman Hanson, David Addo, Issifu Ansah, Stanley Afedzie, Jonathan Quartey, Osei Akoto/Yaw Agyeman Jnr, Felix Baffoe, David Boateng/Eric Bekoe, Michael Helegbe/Adu Amofah Mark
(STADE) - Bejavi Hassen, Boussaidi Anis, Ayari Anis, Saibi Said, Khamar Nontassar, Dridi Leissad, Sghaier Wajih, Ndiaye Abdul Yaro, Salhi Taofik, Daasi Bessam Ziadi Tarak
