South Africa 1-0 Ghana


Co-hosts Ghana are out of the African Cup of Nations after slumping to a 1-0 quarter-final defeat to ten-man South Africa in Kumasi.

The South Africans were forced to play for 40 minutes without influential midfielder Eric Tinkler but the Ghanaians failed to capitalise on their one-man advantage.

The Bafana Bafana now have a three-day break before playing either Nigeria or Senegal in Thursday's semi-final.

Tinkler, who plays for English First Division side Barnsley, was sent off in the 50th minute after being shown a second yellow card for a foul onYaw Preko.

The incident turned the game on its head as South Africa, who had been cruising with a one-goal lead, found themselves a man short.

Striker Siyabonga Nomvete had put them ahead four minutes before half-time.

He had wasted a hat-trick of easier chances before rising powerfully to direct Shaun Bartlett's 41st minute cross.

The Ghanaians were guilty of some awful defending as they sought to take the game to the South Africans.

Kwame Ayew had the best opportunity to give the underdogs a shock lead but he failed to get on the end of a well-placed 18th minute cross.

That chance aside, the South Africans were entirely dominant although they squandered most of what they created.

Bartlett, the tournament top scorer with four goals, supplied Nomvete with two golden openings but he took too much time with both of them.

His casualness was brought into sharp focus with the sending off of Tinkler five minutes after the restart.

The incident sparked Ghana into life and they hit the bar from the first move after the Barnsley defender's departure.

Missing in action

It was delayed by the fact referee Mourad Daami could not find a yellow card in his pocket and had to ask to borrow one from an assistant.

When the game got underway again Emmanuel Osei Kuffour hit the crossbar before Ayew saw his rebound saved by Richard Kingston.

But the South Africans gradually evened things up as their star defenders, Lucas Radebe, Mark Fish and Pierre Issa drew on all their European experience.

Fish, who plays in England for Bolton, made a vital last-minute headed goal-line clearance as the Bafana Bafana hung on.

The two sides observed a minute's silence before the start of the eagerly-awaited clash in Ghana's second city, in memory of those who died in the recent Ivory Coast plane crash.

Teams:

Ghana: 1-Richard Kingson; 2-Eben Dugbartey, 3-Emmanuel Osei Kuffour, 4-Samuel Osei Kuffour, 15-Samuel Johnson, 14-Christian Gyan, 20-Otto Addo, 8-Mark Edusei, 7-Charles Akunnor, 7-Yaw Preko, 9-Kwame Ayew

South Africa: 22-Andre Arendse; 4-Lucas Radebe, 5-Mark Fish, 15-Pierre Issa, 21-Eric Tinkler, 19-Dumisa Ngobe, 10-John Moshoeu, 11-Helman Mkhalele, 7-Quinton Fortune, 9-Shaun Bartlett, 17-Siyabonga Nomvete.
Referee: Mourad Daami (Tunisia)