GRi Sports 26-02-99

Soccer-Queen Mothers donate fruits to Satellites.

Accra, (Greater Accra) 26 Feb.  

Queen Mothers from the Ga Traditional Council Thursday, presented fruits to the Black Satellites at a training session with the Black Stars at the Accra Sports Stadium.

The items, made up of pineapples, oranges, pawpaws, and coconuts, were received on behalf of the team by skipper Hamza Mohammed. The Ga Manye, Naa Dedei Omaadro the third, who led the Queen mothers, said their presentation is in appreciation of their impressive performance so far in the African U-20 Youth Championship and urged the players to strive harder than before and win the Cup at stake.

"We are planning a package for you if you should win this Cup and the World Youth Cup in Nigeria," she said.

A spokesman for the team, Aziz Ansah, promised the Queen Mothers that the team would do all its best to make the nation proud. The Satellites play their final group A match against Cameroon on Saturday.

The Black Stars, on the other hand, are training for Sunday's encounter with Eritrea in a group one match of the 2000 African Cup of Nations' qualifying series in Accra. The only foreign-based members of the Stars yet to arrive are Yaw Preko and Richard Kinsgton.

According to Mr Kudjoe Fianoo, welfare officer of the Black Stars, the two players are expected tonight. He said Germany-based Daniel Addo and Emmanuel Duah in Portugal, have still not responded to the invitation although tickets have been sent to them.

Mr E.T. Mensah, Minister of Youth and Sports, Mr Ade Coker, Chairman of the Satellites Management Committee, Colonel George Brock (rtd), Acting Chief Executive of the National Sports Council, Guisseppe Dossena and Oti Akenten, both coaches, were present at the ceremony.

Kumasi, (Ashanti Region) 25 Feb.

 Nigeria whacked Malawi 5-0 in the Africa Under-20 Youth Football Tournament's group "B" match played at the Kumasi Sports Stadium in Kumasi Thursday.

The sturdily-built Flying Eaglets proved too strong for the Malawians as the "Anago" boys bulldozed their way through their frail and sluggish opponents. The Sourthern Africans did not have the answer to the power-soccer of the Nigerians, who scored the goals at will.

The most promising player on the Malawian side was mid-fielder Mwangonde Muzipasi, who occasionally sliced through the tight Nigerian defence with cheeky ease but poor marksmanship on the part of his colleagues robbed them of goals.

The Malawians nearly gave Nigeria the shocker in the 12th minute when their defence was overran but striker Muzupasi's powerful shot was parried to corner by goalkeeper Sam Okoye and the resultant kick was wasted.

Nigeria scored the leader as soon as the Malawians started recoiling into their shells in the 15th minute through Garba Hashimu, who tapped the ball, which was floated from the right flank, into the net.

A minute later, Nigeria's play-maker Babangida Haruna staged a dribbling run through the Malawian defence but his curling finish-off was stopped on the goal-line by central defender and skipper Peter Mponda with goalkeeper Matinga Malunga Kachibowo was displaced.

Nigeria wasted a chance in the 19th minute when Babangida outpaced the defence and crossed the ball to Garba Hashimu but he fumbled in front of goal. Four minutes later, Pius Ikeda came on for full back Lawal Muyiwa. Hashimu atoned for his earlier mistake and raised the score to 2-0 in the 37th minute when Malawi failed to stop a move as the enraged Nigerians pounded their goal area.

Gambian referee Silla Malick rightly awarded the Nigerians a spot-kick when Muzipasi felled Nigeria's Moses Abubakar in the box. Babangida scored from the rebound after his kick had been punched into play by the goalkeeper Kachibowo to raise the score to 3-0 for Nigeria in the 39th minute.

Muzipasi failed to score in the 47th minute for Malawi when the Nigerian defence, for once, crumbled under persistent attacks.

Six minutes later, Malawi were to concede a fourth goal when substitute Pius Ikeda scored after the Nigerians had confused them with quick runs and fast dashes. Musa Abubakar completed the rout in the 80th minute for Nigeria, who top group B with six points, to become the second nation to qualify for the semi-finals and Nigeria '99 after group A leaders Ghana.

A last-minute attempt to score a face-saving goal for the Malawians was wasted as Akidu Fundi shot off target before an empty net in the 89th minute.

Scorers:

Nigeria: Garba Hashimu (15, 37), Babangida (39 pen), Pius Ikeda (53) and Musa Abubakar (80).

Accra, (Greater Accra) 25 Feb.  

Leading scorers in the Ghana '99 tournament after the second round matches of both groups on Thursday.

2- Issa Abdul Rahman (Ghana), Musa Abubakar, Garba Hashimu, Haruna Babangida (Nigeria), Mohammed Sankhon (Guinea), Nsofwa Chaswe (Zambia), Pascal Feindouno (Guinea).

1- Skelley Adu Tutu, Awule Quaye Jnr, Theophilus Amuza and Issah Mohammed (Ghana), Joseph Yobo, Pius Ikeda, Musa Abubakar (Nigeria), Ousmane Bangoura (Guinea), Lundu Ezzie (Zambia), Modeste Mbami (Cameroon) and Tenema Ndiaye (Mali), Sinkala Andrew, Festus Mangamu, Gift Kampamba, Emmanuel Zulu (Zambia).

Kumasi, (Ashanti Region) 25 Feb.  

Zambia showed no mercy for Guinea as they routed them 6-2 in the second Group "B" match of the 11th Africa Under-20 soccer tournament played in Kumasi last night. By this feat, the Zambians have broken the tournament's highest goals record of 5-0 by both Ghana and Nigeria.

The swift Zambians gave an indication of what was in store for the Guineans as early as the third minute when they scored the opener through midfielder Nsofwa Chaswe.

Just seconds after this goal, the lights at the stadium went off, throwing the whole place into total darkness. It took the stadium technicians 27 minutes to restore them including the floodlights.

When play resumed, it was the Guineans, who carried the game to the Zambians and earned a penalty in the 13th minute, which was converted by skipper Bagoura Ousmane for the equaliser.

But it took the Zambians just seven minutes to restore their lead in the 20th minute through Andrew Sinkala. Nsofwa Chaswe scored his second nine minutes later to make it 3-1 for Zambia.

The East Africans took absolute control of the game and it came as no surprise when they raised the tally to four in the 54th minute through Festus Mangamu.

Guinea earned another penalty in the 65th minute and converted it to reduce the tally to 4-2 but the rampaging Zambians quickly replied in the 68th minute through Gift Kampamba.

They pulled out Kampamba and brought on smallish Emmanuel Zulu, who announced his presence with the sixth goal for the Zambians in the 69th minute to seal the doom of the Guineans.

Zambia's Ronald Mabmbara was adjudged the best player of the match and was presented with a ghetto blaster, donated by LG Electronics.

The group B next matches will come off on Sunday involving Guinea and Malawi and Nigeria and Zambia.

Scorers:

Zambia: Nsofwa Chaswe (3, 29), Sinkala Andrew (20), Festus Mangamu (54), Gift Kampamba (68) Emmanuel Zulu (69)

Guinea: Pascal Feindouno (13, 65).

Kumasi, (Ashanti Region) 25 Feb.  

Standings of group B teams after the second round matches of the African Under-20 soccer championship played today in Kumasi tabulated under play, win, lose draw, goals for and goals against.