Ghana’s players celebrate at the end of the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations quarter-final football match between DR Congo and Ghana in Oyem on January 29, 2017.
ISSOUF SANOGO / AFP
• Egypt beat Morocco 1-0, to meet Burkina Faso
The Ayew brothers, Jordan and Andre, scored in either side of Gabon’s lone strike to lead Ghana over Congo in one of yesterday’s quarterfinal matches at the on-going African Nations Cup holding in Gabon.
The 2-1 victory set up the Black Stars for a mouth watering semifinal clash with Cameroun on Wednesday. Both teams came into the game searching for the opener in a frantic first half, but the Ghanaians served the first goal through Jordan, whose curling shot eluded Congolese goalkeeper, Ley Matampi to rest in the top corner on the hour mark.
The lead lasted just five minutes when DR Congo levelled through Mpoku to set up a thrilling encounter settled by Andre Ayew’s penalty in the 68th minute.
The DR Congo attack of Mbokani, Junior Kabananga Kalonji and Paul-Jose M’Poku continued to put pressure on the Black Stars’ defence, but they could not find the final touch to make their attacking superiority count.
Ghana did not create any clear goal scoring opportunity until Jordan’s beauty beat Matampi in the 30th minute. But Ghana’s celebrations were cut short five minutes later when Mpoku smashed a long-range effort past Brimah.
The goal set up a thrilling end to a classic encounter settled by Andre Ayew’s penalty in the 68th minute following Joyce Lomalisa Mutambala’s foul on Christian Atsu inside the box.
Thereafter, DR Congo set their camp in the Black Stars’ half of the field, but goalkeeper Brimah and his defenders stood their ground to set up a semifinal clash with Cameroun on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, Egypt defeated eternal foes, Morocco, 1-0, to berth into the semifinal, where they will meet Burkina Faso. Mahmoud Abdel-Moneim poked the ball home after some poor defending from Morocco at a corner kick.
