Stephen Appiah scored a penalty kick in the second minute of first-half injury time on Thursday to give Ghana a 2-1 World Cup victory over the United States, advancing the Africans to the second round.
Ghana, World Cup debutantes, also eliminated the Americans, who needed a victory and an Italy triumph over the Czech Republic in the other Group E match to reach the knockout rounds.
The Italians did their part, defeating the Czechs 2-1 to win the group. That opened the door for the US team and also meant Ghana only needed a draw with the Americans to advance.
The Black Stars followed up the shocker of the tournament, a 2-0 triumph over the second-ranked Czechs, by using their speed to create opportunities and frustrate an American attack desperate for offence but unable to convert.
Ghana captain Appiah grabbed back momentum from the Americans just before half-time after Clint Dempsey had scored in the 43rd minute to equalise. Ghana’s Haminu Draman opened the scoring in the 22nd minute.
US defender Oguchi Onyewu tackled Ghana forward Razak Pimpong from behind in the penalty area, the foul setting up Appiah, a former Juventus midfielder, for a scoring blast that found the net to the left of US goalkeeper Kasey Keller.
Needing two second-half goals for any hope of advancing, US coach Bruce Arena brought on 22-year-old forward Eddie Johnson in the 61st minute and attacking midfielder Bobby Convey in the 74th to spark offence.
Ghana’s defence was equal to the challenge, though not without several players tumbling to the ground after contact to derisive whistles from US supporters.
Draman was carried off on a stretcher with an ice pack on the front of his upper right leg, leaving a 10-man Ghana to deal with the desperate US attack for several minutes until Alex Tachie-Mensah replaced him in the 80th minute.
At the final whistle, most players shook hands with their US counterparts, then raced to a corner of the Frankenstadion where their supporters were in a joyous frenzy.
Dempsey netted the first US goal of the tournament from a brilliant cross from DaMarcus Beasley to energise the 2002 World Cup quarterfinalists.
Draman, who replaced yellow-card suspended midfielder Sulley Muntari, stole the ball from US captain Claudio Reyna and raced in alone on Casey Keller from the right side, then flicked a right-footed shot past him inside the far post.
Keller (36) is winless in four World Cups, two as a starter. — AFP
