[ 2015-02-07 ]

Striker Kwesi Appiah (left) and Mubarak Wakaso (rigtht) join Andre Ayew to celebrate his goal

Stars face the Elephants on Sunday
Ghana's Black Stars yesterday made a safe landing
into the final of this year's African Cup of
Nations (AFCON), to play Côte d'Ivoire on Sunday,
but the 3-0 win over hosts, Equatorial Guinea, was
completely overshadowed by rowdy scenes by the
home fans who simply could not accept their loss.

Throughout the tournament the behaviour of the
home fans had raised concerns over safety and
security and yesterday it got out of hand as they
threw missiles at both officials and the Stars, in
protest over what they found to be unfair
officiating.

With about five minutes to go, Gabonese referee,
Eric Otogo Castane, was compelled to hold up
proceedings for more than 30 minutes as the
Ghanaian fans ran to the pitch for cover for being
attacked in the stands, while the players of the
two teams and match officials remained on the
pitch until the the situation was brought under
control.

When the referee resumed the match, the players
held their nerves and played the remaining five
minutes, but it had no effect on the results as
the die had already been cast. First half goals
from Jordan Ayew, Mubarak Wakaso and a late strike
by stand-in captain, Andre Dede Ayew had already
sealed victory for Ghana.

It was a scary experience for anyone who was not
Equatorial Guinean in the stands as fans began
their attack just before the 40th minute mark,
unhappy with some calls from the referee.

It became worse when Referee Castane awarded the
Stars a penalty after goalkeeper Felipe Ovono , as
the last man, had brought Kwasi Appiah down in the
box. Jordan Ayew converted the spot kick and four
minutes later, Wakaso doubled the lead by
finishing off a brilliant move by Christian Atsu.

That even provoked the fans further as they
intensified their attacks, compelling the riot
police present at the stadium to shield the Stars
into the dressing room at half time.

When the second half resumed, both sides continued
from where they left off, each side probing for
goals, but it became frustrating for the Guineans
whose urgent attacks were calmly slowed down by
the Ghanaians.

The Guineans became physical and every call
against them was considered a bad call, while they
expected the referee to whistle in their favour
even when it was not warranted. Frustration from
players led to the fans’ agitation and increased
violent reaction, but before it degenerated into
real danger, Dede Ayew had sealed the victory with
the third goal, finishing off a move from
Appiah.

For the Guineans who admitted they lost to an
experienced side, the pain of losing and playing
the third place match against DR Congo tomorrow
is nothing compared to the shame their compatriots
had brought onto them.

Ghana: Razak Braimah, Harrison Afful, Baba Abdul
Rahman, Jonathan Mensah, John Boye, Afriyie
Acquah, Mubarak Wakaso/Agyeman Badu, Christian
Atsu, Andre Dede Ayew, Kwesi Appiah, Jordan Ayew.

Source - Daily Graphic

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