The 24-year-old shot stopper, who is making his tournament debut in Africa’s flagship competition, has been criticized for his role in conceding a goal against Guinea in the final group game. 

Some have also questioned the Norway-born keeper’s aerial judgments. 

However, Kwarasey saved Ghana’s blushes in the 2-1 quarter-final victory over Tunisia on Sunday and says he is getting to grips with the system. 

“It’s normal. This is my first big tournament so it would take time for me to get into the system and today [Tunisia match] was good,” the Ghana goalkeeper said after the game at the Stade de Franceville. 

“It was nice to get a good game again because I haven’t felt that I have been on top. Today, it felt good, something is coming back again, so it’s nice.” 

He made his debut for the Black Stars in September last year in a Nations Cup qualifier against Swaziland and has gone on to make the number one jersey his own. 

The goalkeeper admits that he is a bit baffled with the criticisms leveled at him but accepts them in good faith. 

“It takes time but you just have to be bold and jump into it. Today, it was no nonsense and I just had to play well. It was good. I can’t accept certain things but it’s football,” he said. 

And he believes the only way to answer his critics is to ensure that he continues to perform well for the Black Stars. 

“You have to accept certain things. The only thing I can do is to answer them on the field and I think today, what I did was normal and I think I can do much, much better.” - Citifmoline

It was a slow start with both sides taking their time to settle into the match. Despite the lack of tempo, Ghana were first off the mark when John Mensah met Emmanuel Badu’s corner on 10 minutes to give his team an early lead and continue a trend of Black Stars efficiency on set pieces at the 2012 Afcon. 

Things could have gotten worse for the north Africans shortly thereafter when a glancing header at the near post nearly found its way inside Mathlouthi’s back post. 

Sami Trabelsi’s side heeded the warning and began finding some traction in midfield. A foul on Zouhaier Dhaouadi gave Tunisia an opportunity to level the score with a well-placed free kick, but Khalil Chammam’s left-footed strike was too high to trouble Adam Kwarasey. 

On 29 minutes, the Carthage Eagles had a penalty shout turned down after Youssef Msakni cleverly played in Saber Khalifa behind Samuel Inkoom. The Evian striker eventually would have the better of his marker just before the half when he headed in a Dhaouadi cross to equalise for his country. 

An over-eager referee led to a continuation of the stop-start affair in the second half. Asamoah Gyan had one chance snuffed out by Aymen Abdennour. Later, a slip by Isaac Vorsah almost allowed Jamel Saihi to give Tunisia the lead on 61 minutes but Mensah was on hand to cover for his team-mate. 

Things began to open up in the last half an hour and Gyan tried his luck from just outside the penalty area after turning Abdennour.  The Toulouse defender then led a counterattack that nearly bore fruit in the 69th minute. Youssef Msakni got into the act on the ensuing possession but his strike was deflected over the bar by Vorsah. 

Ghana responded with a direct Ayew corner that forced a decent save from Mathlouthi and the Tunisian goalkeeper answered the call once more when he parried Gyan’s excellent volley. On the other end, Kwarasey also had a save to make in the closing stages of the match when Issam Jemaa put in a powerful drive from distance. 

A dream start to extra-time was wiped away for the Tunisians when Issam Jemaa’s goal was ruled offside. After saving his team on more than one occasion the Carthage Eagles keeper made a nightmare blunder to allow Ayew to put the Black Stars on top. 

Tunisia were to finish with 10-men after a harsh straight red card saw Abdennour take an early shower and the north Africans’ tried in vain to equalise and send the match to penalty kicks. Ghana held firm and have booked a semi-final encounter with Zambia. 

By: Citifmonline. com with additional files from Goal. com

Referee David Bennett

Guinea coach Michel Dussuyer has lashed out at South African referee Daniel Bennett for ‘helping’ Ghana advance to the quarterfinals of the Africa Cup of Nations at their expense Wednesday in Franceville. 

Ghana drew 1-1 with the Syli National to finish top of Group D, while the Guineans crashed out of the tournament after Mali defeated Botswana 2-1 in the other game in the group in Libreville.

“Ghana is a great team, but they did need the help of the referee to go through,” blasted Dussuyer after the match.

“I am disappointed and angry.

“..In the first half all the fouls were against Guinea when we all know that this is a very physical game.”

Mamadou Bah was sent off in the 69th minute for a second booking as Guinea were reduced to 10 men.

“The first yellow card against Bah was not deserved,” insisted the French coach.

“And now to then play 10 against 11, it was very, very difficult for us.”

Experienced referee Bennett was slow in taking decisions and turned a blind eye to several late tackles as both teams made a combat of this clash in the last half hour.

The Guinea coach’s other regret was the 1-0 loss they suffered against West African rivals Mali in their opening group game.

“We did not deserve to lose to Mali. We were a bit unlucky in that game. It was a big regret therefore to lose that game,” he said.

Hearts CEO, Fred Crentsil, told Asempa sports the match will also feature the new signings of the 2000 Champions League winners.

The high profile friendly game, he said, is part of the many good things in the pipe line for the “continental club masters.”

Stephen Appiah

Assistant Ghana coach Kwesi Appiah maintains he is happy with qualification to the next round of the African Cup of Nations despite an unconvincing 1-1 draw against Guinea.
Emmanuel Agyeman-Badu opened the scoring in the 27th minute before Camara Razzagui equalized for Guinea, two minutes into injury time of the first half at the Stade de Franceville.

Guinea played the last 20 minutes with ten men following the dismissal of Bah Mamadou.

The Black Star before kickoff only needed a point to qualify from Group D but failed to hit form with Kwesi Appiah admitting that, it was a tough match.

“We didn’t want to get into a situation of problems,” Appiah said. “It was just important that we qualified for the next stage. At the end of the day, the most important thing is making sure you qualify.”

Mali players mob Seydou Keita after his winning goal against Botswana

Mali reached the African Nations Cup quarter-finals for the first time since 2004 after coming from behind to beat Botswana 2-1 and finish second in Group D.

Botswana took a shock lead shortly after half-time through Mogakolodi Ngele, who timed his run perfectly to meet Moemedi Moatlhaping’s cross and sidefoot firmly home for his first international goal.

However, Mali levelled six minutes later when Modiri Marumo parried Modibo Maiga’s header but Garra Dembele emphatically hammered home the rebound from close range.

Barcelona midfielder Seydou Keita complete the Eagles’ comeback, exchanging passes with substitute Cheick Diabate, just on for Dembele, before curling a measured first-time effort past Marumo with his left foot.

Ghana made certain of their progress into the quarter-finals as they held Guinea to a 1-1 draw, a result that sent their opponents out of the competition.

A screamer from Emmanuel Agyemang-Badu gave Ghana the lead in the 26th minute, and although Guinea levelled on the stroke of half-time through a fortuitous strike from Abdoul Camara, they could not find the goal they needed to go through.

Their challenge only made harder by the 70th minute dismissal of Mamadou Bah.—ESPN

African Nations Cup quarter-final fixtures:

Zambia v Sudan – February 4

Ivory Coast v Equatorial Guinea – February 4

Gabon v Mali – February 5

Ghana v Tunisia – February 5

United were without 11 players, including Wayne Rooney, and gave a Premier League debut to third-choice keeper Ben Amos.

But Hernandez broke the deadlock after Jermaine Pennant fouled Park Ji-sung before Berbatov doubled the lead.

A foul by Jonathan Walters on Antonio Valencia was punished by the striker.

With Chelsea and Liverpool providing the opposition in the next two league games, it was vital United bounced back from their FA Cup exit at the weekend.

And although this was far from a vintage performance, Sir Alex Ferguson’s injury-hit side did enough to secure maximum points.

Stoke’s record at Old Trafford, a venue where they have not won for 36 years, suggested this should have been a straightforward exercise for Ferguson’s side.

Yet for long periods of the first half it was anything but as United, missing Rooney for the second successive game, appeared to suffer a hangover from the last-gasp defeat at Liverpool.

Fortunately for Ferguson’s team, Stoke lacked any cutting edge in attack as Amos was forced into just one save as he started a top-flight game for United for the first time – David De Gea and Anders Lindegaard having been ruled out by illness and injury respectively.

Bizarrely, United had scored in the 27th minute in each of their last three meetings with Stoke.

Yet despite dominating possession, they failed to seriously test Thomas Sorensen in the opening half-hour, Paul Scholes’s attempt from outside the area the closest they came to finding the net.

By then Jonathan Walters and Kenwyne Jones had attempted to test Amos from distance – both efforts flying wide of the target.

United had hardly threatened when they opened the scoring seven minutes before the interval after the move of the match.

Good work by Berbatov, starting for the first time since 4 January, and Scholes released Park inside the area, Pennant leaving referee Mike Jones with no choice but to point to the spot after lunging in on the South Korean.

Hernandez, who had not started since the 3-2 home defeat to Blackburn on 31 December, kept his composure to beat Thomas Sorensen from the spot before United thought they should have had a second penalty when Robert Huth appeared to handle Hernandez’s cross.

This time Jones was not interested but the official did award another penalty when Walters fouled Valencia – the fourth spot-kick the Cheshire official has given in his last two games.

Sorensen guessed the right way but was still beaten as Berbatov drilled home his first goal of 2012 home in the 53rd minute.

United should have won by a more handsome margin with Berbatov guilty of spurning a fine chance following Valencia’s cut-back in stoppage time.

Ferguson pleased with 'confident' display

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson: “We played a lot of good football and scored two penalties while we could have had two more.

“(Paul) Pogba did really well when he came on. You can’t believe he’s only 18-years-old. We’re negotiating his contract at the moment, but it’s a bit complicated because he’s changed his agent.

“As for Ben Amos, he’s got potential. He never flapped at anything.”

Pulis questions penalty decisions

Stoke manager Tony Pulis: “It’s always difficult coming here. We were playing one of the best teams – if not the best team – and we have got to keep the ball a little bit better and get up the pitch.

“Looking at them there (the penalties), they are very debatable but we are at Old Trafford.”

-By Neil Johnston BBC Sport

Albert Nupkezah, National Athletics team coach

Ghana’s National Athletics team will commence camping in the United States of America (USA) in April as part of preparations towards the 2012 London Olympic Games.

The camp, which is expected to provide members of the team the opportunity to train with modern facilities in a bid to enhance their time ahead of the competition, is expected to start in April and end in May.

Sources reveal that the team, whilst camping in USA, will engage in other competitions and trials to make the international time set for qualification for the Olympic Games.

Currently, 47 athletes are embarking on a non-residential camping and the technical team is expected to prune down the list before embarking on the USA camp.

Coach Albert Nukpezah of the National Athletics team, told the GNA Sports only 14 athletes will be selected from the huge number for the USA camping.

He said the athletes will be joined by their foreign based colleagues for the final camping in USA.

According to the coach, the officials will be working on the times of the athletes as some of them have to make the international standards necessary for the competition.

He stated that the Men’s Relay team is 13th in the world which qualifies them for the Olympics but added they must engage in more competitions to either improve upon their position or maintain it.

“Countries that participate in the Relay races must be among the first 16 in the world and we must protect our current position to enable us participate in the Olympics by engaging in more competitions,” the coach stated.

General Secretary of the Ghana Athletics Association (GAA), Fuseini Bawa, said Ghana will participate in the Africa Senior Championship in Benin and the National Grand Prix in Ghana before the July 8 date, which is the deadline for making the time for the London 2012 Olympics.

Kwesi Nyantakyi

President of the Ghana Football Association, Kwesi Nyantakyi, and his Vice, Jordan Anargblah, on Sunday visited some supporters who have travelled from Ghana to support the Black Stars at the 2012 African Cup of Nations.
The supporters, numbering about 150 are based in the town; Ngouni in Franceville.

The President thanked them for travelling to support the Black Stars and edged them to continue supporting the team as they fight for the trophy.

“We are very, very grateful for travelling to Gabon to support the Black Stars. The Black Stars have promised that they would not disappoint you especially for your commitment to them. You have shown your love for your country and the players have also promised that for all your efforts and the efforts of Ghanaians, they would bring the trophy home,” President of the GFA said.

Alhaji Guntu, the leader of the supporters, said they are grateful for the visit of the FA leadership despite their tight schedule during the tournament.

“You have shown us that you are not only interested in us coming to support the Black Stars but care for our welfare by paying us this surprise visit. Your leadership has brought a lot of positive things to Ghana Football and this is even showing in the way you deal with us, ordinary supporters. We want to assure you that we would not do anything to put Ghana to shame. We would go out to continue to support all our national teams,” he intimated.

Joy for Zambia after Christopher Katongo's goal put them top of Group A

Zambia defeated African Nations Cup co-hosts, Equatorial Guinea, 1-0 to qualify ahead of them as Group A winners, with captain Christopher Katongo’s second-half strike the difference between the sides.

Equatorial Guinea were already assured of their place in the quarter-finals after winning their first two matches, but lost out on the chance of a favourable draw as they failed to get to grips with Herve Renard’s side at the Estadio de Nuevo.

Zambia had the better of the chances but a stalemate looked likely until Katongo collected a throw-in on the left, dribbled the ball into the penalty area and beat Clementino Emmanuel Danilo at his near post with 67 minutes gone.

A brace from Al Busaifi Ihaab was not enough to send Libya through to the knockout stages of the African Nations Cup, even though they beat Senegal 2-1.

Marcos Paqueta’s men needed to win their Group A game and hope Equatorial Guinea would beat Zambia and, although Ihaab’s double ensured they kept their side of the bargain, Zambia’s 1-0 win ensured it was nothing more than a proud farewell for Libya.

They and Senegal – who equalised on the night through Deme N’Diaye – are both now out, with much-fancied Senegal ending without picking up a single point.—ESPN