LiveBlog: Ghana vs Guinea

Ghana 2-1 Guinea

Ghana get the win the need to start the campaign on a high, but it was very tense for a while. The long grass did no one any favours and The Black Stars wasted all kinds of chances in the first half. Gyan gave Ghana an early second half lead from the penalty spot, only for Kalabane to equalise a few minutes later. It all looked headed for a frustrating (for Ghana at least) 1-1 draw until Sulley Muntari unleashed a rocket with his left foot in the final minute. All the goals can be found here, the LiveBlog as it happened is below.

Accra is a happy happy place after Sulley Muntari’s unstoppable last minute winner gave the hosts a 2-1 win. Thanks to everyone who stopped by and commented and thanks for you patience with me. This was the fist LiveBlog for a while so hopefully they’ll get better. Also, hope everyone found a way to watch the game.

Ghana players celebrating on the pitch, fans looking understandably ecstatic, Le Roy applauding players and fans and a baseball-capped Stephen Appiah giving Michael Essien a big big hug. Great news for Ghana and great news for the Africa Cup of Nations 2008, as tournaments always benefit from successful host nations.

FULL TIME Ghana win 2-1. They deserve it. Muntari’s strike was good enough to win any game. Credit to Guinea for a good effort.

90:00 +3 Kingston picks up a booking but doesn’t care because he’s win. He gives the ref the thumbs up!

90:00 +2 Three minutes of injury time so just one to go. Muntari’s strike earned him a well deserved hug from Le Roy.

89:00 Sulley Muntari hits a more or less unstoppable left footed shot from outside the area. Kemoko Camara dives at it but he’s got no chance. Muntari’s left peg is lethal.

89:00 GOAL! Ghana

88:00 Ayew dribbles down the left wing with some quick feet and is fouled. The cross is caught by the unemployed but busy Kemoko Camara.

86:00 Hearts winger Laryea Kingston dribbles straight into the box but is met by an Oumar Kalabane slide tackle. No penalty this time. Kalabane having a big game.

84:00: Feindouno gets a shot away, but not on target. 1-1 not a horrible result for either team, and that looks like where we’re heading.

80:00 Guinea cause a sramble in the Ghana box but nothing comes of it. Ghana go up the other end, but their corner is caught by Kemoko Camara.

78:00 Gyan with a nice flick to Muntari who hits a nice low shot just wide. Ghana are going for it again.

77:00 Ayew with a chance to make himself an instant hero, but he hits a nervous shot from 6 yards and the keeper saves. His dad would have scored it.

75:00 Sub for Ghana. Owusu-Abeyie off and Andre Ayew (son of Abedi Pele) on. Let’s see what this 18 year old has got in his locker.

72:00 Martina Navratilova Claude Le Roy is planning some subs. Essien’s shot deflected over. I had expected Essien to control this game, but that hasn’t been the case. Maybe that extra game for Chelsea wasn’t such a good idea?

70:00 Kingston fires over and Ghana’s strikers look annoyed that he didn’t deliver a cross. Do Guinea deserve to get a point from this game? Ghana have been the dominant team but Guinea have put up a good fight.

68:00 Muntari booked, Feindouno briefly has to leave the field for treatment.

62:00 Kalabane, who had given away the penalty, heads a corner at Kingson. It bounced off the Ghana keeper, up into the air and just over the line. Sarpei tries to clear but you don’t need any fancy technology to see it was definitely over the line. Ghana 1-1 Guinea. Game on!

62:00 GOAL Guinea!!!

61:00 Guinea make two subs, bringing on Fode Mansara and Mohamed Cisse. Fode Mansara has a good reputation so we’ll see what he does. Guinea make a sub. Karamoke Cisse on, not sure who’s off. ESPN matchtracker claim it was Feindouno. It’s not. Then they claim it was Bangoura. It’s not. I think it was Youla who came off, but don’t hold me to it.

60:00 Pantsili shows how it should be done with a perfectly timed slide tackle on Youla, at pace.

59:00 Apologies for briefly bolding all the comments. No arguments from me that that was definitely a penalty. Looked like an honestly intended slide tackle, but badly timed as Agogo was too quick.

57:00 I’m thinking maybe the floodgates could open now Ghana have finally have scored and their nerves are settled.

56:00 Now Ghana’s Addo gets a yellow card for tripping a Guinea player.

55:00 Gyan put it in the top right corner. 1-0.

55:00 … GOAL!

53:00 PENALTY! Agogo is brought down in the box by Kalabane. Gyan to take

52:00 Feindouno gets the first Africa Cup of Nations 2008 yellow card for arguing with a linesman. Silly.

50:00 Great save! Kemoko Camara is awake after all as he saves Kingston’s curling shot, taken from a wide angle after a short corner.

48:00 No changes at half-time. Asamoah Gyan heads one over. Junior Agogo shoots tamely at the keeper.

46:00 Commenter Mediaonsaturn is right, Ghana will be worried about getting sucker punched after wasting so many good chances. The half time stats said Ghana had 59% possession to Guinea 41%.

45:00 We’re off again.

SECOND HALF The players are coming back out. Hopefully Ghana have used half time to practice their shooting. There is no way this game is finishing 0-0. Is there?

HALF TIME 0-0 as the players leave the field for a 15 minute breather. Agogo, Essien and Muntari have all hit the post for Ghana. Now we know why Guinea changed their shirts, these new ones must be lucky. Especially the keeper jersey as Kemoko Camara doesn’t even have to make saves, he just watches as the woodwork does his job for him.

I’m off for a quick cuppa, but will be back for more of the same in the second half.

45:00 Feindouno goes reasonably close with a free kick, and then the ref blows for half time.

44:00 Quick shot of Stephen Appiah in his civvies. He must desperately want to lace his boots up and take control of Ghana’s midfield.

43:00 Youla is doing a decent job up front. He finds Feindouno with a square ball, Fendouno shoots but again it’s not enough to worry Kingston.

41:00 Guinea keeper Kemoko Camara is the luckiest man in Accra to still have his clean sheet. He should buy a lottery ticket at half time.

40:00 Great far post volley from Muntari as Ghana strike the post. Again! That’s 3-0 to Ghana if we’re playing “who can hit the post the most.” Keeper failed to move again.

38:00 Johne “The Rock of Gibraltar” Mensah gets his head to a Kingston free kick.

36:00 Gyan has it in the net… but pushed the defender so it’s a free kick to Guinea. Keeper didn’t move though. My early confidence in him has disappeared.

33:00 Feindouno puts it between Pantsili’s legs. Megs! The West Ham defender uses his size to win it back though.

32:00 Great slide by Kingston to keep the ball in. I don’t watch baseball but imagine that’s what it’s like when they slide for a plate?

31:00 Pantsili absolutely nails Guinea defender Camara. Ouchy. No card though.

29:00 Replay of Essien’s header shows the ball was almost behind him. Great effort to lean back and direct it at goal.

28:00 Ghana hit the post. Again. It’s an Essien header.

26:00 Ghana invite Sacko to shoot so he does. But straight at Kingson.

24:30Feindouno brought down outside the box. He shoots near post but it deflects of Essien. If Guinea are going to score then Feindouno will be involved.

24:00 Bangoura gets in the box but hits a tame shot. he hasn’t looked impressive at all.

21:30 Gyan with an overhead kick that’s just wide. Kingston’s cross was nodded back across goal and Gyan tried the athletic. Close. A Ghana goal is coming.

20:00 It hit the keeper’s left hand post and bounced right across the line. Ghana with another chance, a feeble dribbly shot by Gyan that even Paul Robinson would have saved.

19:00 Abeyie with a great cross abnd Agogo hits the post!

17:30 Got to say, so far so good with the video feed. Not perfect but more than watchable. Guinea keeper Kamoko Camara plucks a deep Sulley Muntari cross out of the air. I like this Camara, but apparently he doesn’t have a club.

16:00 Ghana try some patient(ish) build up. Is Claude Le Roy reading this LiveBlog?

14:00 Phrase we won’t be using today: “Patient build up”

13:00 Guinea breakaway. Bangoura should have played Youla through but chooses to shoot very high and very wide instead.

12:00 A Kingston cross is accidentally flicked up by a Guinea defender, keeper Camara makes a fantastic athletic attempt to pluck it out of the air. But still a Ghana corner.

10:00 As Laurie say, lots of long ball. It’s like an ’80s English football match. The long grass isn’t helping. Though Feindouno seems keen to put his foot on it in midfield.

8:00 Kalabane meets a Feindouno free kick for GUI but heads well over. Loads of chances!

7:00 It’s all Ghana, but their strikers aren’t looking too decisive.

6:00 Gyan is put through twice in the space of a minute b y defensive mistakes. First one he strikes wide. Second he miscontrols. Then Junior Agogo with a poor header at the far post.

5:00 Big Bobo Balde steps across Agogo to make a great defensive header.

4:00 Brad’s right. This is a different Guinea kit than the one we expected. And not as good. A big boo for whoever made that decision.

2:30 Youla called offside. Except he wasn’t. Lobbed Kingson but it was wide anyway.

1:30 Big tackle from Jabi (GUI.) Bit dangerous too. The ball looks incredible.

Kick-off I missed the first 40 seconds but am back in.

Uh oh The stream just logged me out.

Line ups: Cut and pasted from uhurusoka’s comment (thanks!)

Ghana Guinea
22 Richard Kingson (G) (G) Kemoko Camara 16
18 Eric Addo (D) (D) Bobo Balde 5
5 John Mensah (D) (D) Alseni Camara 12
4 John Pantsil (D) (D) Daouda Jabi 21
2 Hans Sarpei (D) (D) Oumar Kalabane 15
8 Michael Essien (M) (M) Ismael Bangoura 10
7 Laryea Kingston (M) (M) Victor Correa 9
9 Junior Agogo (S) (M) Hamed Sacko 13
3 Asamoah Gyan (S) (M) Kanfory Sylla 8
11 Sulley Muntari (S) (S) Pascal Feindouno 2
20 Owusu-Abeyie Quincy (S) (S) Souleymane Youla 11

Now Ghana’s national anthem: The atmosphere in the crowd looks AMAZING! Flags everywhere.

Nearly nearly there: Pascal Feindouno giving his teammates an on field pep talk. Go Pascal! Now it’s the Guinea national anthem. We’re up close with the players and I can confirm that no one in Guinea’s squad will have a career in music.

Nearly there: The teams are out on the pitch, and the press are swarming! Introductions to dignitaries are being done. Wonder if anyone will chin Sepp Blatter for his “let’s move the Cup of Nations to summer” comment yesterday?

Five(ish) minutes until kick off: We have video!!!

Ten minutes until kick off: Was starting to get nervous about the lack of video so close to kick-off, but experienced web football watcher Laurie assures me that the feeds usually begin right at go-time.

We have a commenter! Inara (of Ghana blog fame) is not only the first to comment, she also brings valuable information. Ghana will line up 4-4-2, as follows:

Kingson
Paintsil - Addo - Mensah - Sarpei
Kingston - Essien -Muntari - Owusu Abeyie
Agogo - (Asamoah?) Gyan

20 minutes until kick off: The video feed still hasn’t returned. Am still mostly confident, but getting slightly nervous that I’ve paid $30 just to watch the opening ceremony.

35 minutes until kick off: We still don’t know the starting line-ups but I’m looking forward to seeing Michael Essien (superstar) and (if he plays) Andre Ayew for Ghana. Would like to see what that kid has got. Also looking forward to seeing Pascal Feindouno for Guinea. He’s got the skills to pay the bills.

One hour exactly until kick off: Now the video feed is blank, but after successfully viewing the opening ceremony (and Mark Bright’s warm-up - “testing, testing, 1-2-3″) I’m fairly confident the feed will be back before Ghana and Guinea kick off. Fairly confident.

Hmm: The opening ceremony programming over, I’m now seeing former Crystal Palace striker Mark Bright doing his pre-presenting warm-up. I don’t think Brighty knows he’s being broadcast!

Just over one hour until kick off: They’re rolling up the protective sheet to reveal the pitch. Football is coming! There was also a great speech from the chairman of the Local Organizing Committee - “Long live Africa. Long live Ghana. May the best team win. And may an African team win World Cup 2010″

1 hour 15 until kick off: I’ve paid my $30 to watch on GhanaTV (which is where the Telesud and JumpTV subscriptions lead) and they’ve been showing the opening ceremony. It was nice and quick, nice and lively and included a giant synchronised human formation of Stephen Appiah striking a ball. The esteem he’s held in in Ghana makes it all the sadder that Appiah will be missing through injury.

Kick off is 5pm local time in Accra. (5pm in the UK, 6pm in Central Europe, 12 noon Eastern US, 9am Pacific US.) We’ll get going an hour before kick off with a quick look at the opening ceremony and some pre-match build-up.

So far we’ve already compared Ghana and Guinea’s kits and must confess they’re both better dressed than myself. Snazzy. We’ve also put together a quick preview of this game, if you need to know who the key players to look out for are.

How do you think this opening game will go? As it’s the opening game, I’m feeling a 1-1 draw. Maybe Guinea to take the lead and a Michael Essien-inspired Ghana roared on by the home crowd to level things up in the second half. Pop your predictions in the comments and we’ll see who was closest at the end of the game.

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