Czech Republic 0 Ghana 2
Ghana provided the biggest shock of the 2006 World Cup so far as they comfortably beat the world's second-ranked nation the Czech Republic 2-0 to keep alive their hopes of a place in the last 16.
This was no fluke either even though the Czechs were without strikers Milan Baros and Jan Koller through injury.
Ghana, ranked 48 places behind their opponents in FIFA's official world rankings, set the tempo from the off and showed no ill-effects from their opening defeat by Italy.
Some of their football was breathtaking and the only wonder was why the African nation, fashioned by a coach from Serbia and Montenegro, did not win by a bigger margin. Instead they had to settle for early and late goals from Asamoah Gyan and Sulley Muntari.
Ratomir Dujkovic's side made the breakthrough after just two minutes thanks to one of the tournament's promising youngsters.
Gyan supplied the perfect finish after Stephen Appiah had delivered a good cross into the area from the left.
Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech was stunned as it was the first goal the Czech Republic had conceded in five games.
They hit back after eight minutes, however, with a swift counter-attack but Jaroslav Plasil's effort cleared the bar.
Then Pavel Nedved tested Ghana goalkeeper Richard Kingson after a neat one-two with Tomas Rosicky.
Ghana, though, looked impressive going forward. Appiah twice came close while Gyan saw his close range effort blocked by Cech. Matthew Amoah also sent a shot wide.
Arsenal's summer signing Rosicky, who scored twice in the defeat of the USA in the first game, showed a surprising lack of confidence a minute before half-time. He clipped a close-range shot wide after Karel Poborsky had sent in a teasing cross from the right.
Then in stoppage time in the first half Nedved tried to cut inside but Otto Addo made a timely clearance to round off a superb first half by Ghana.
Nedved found the net a minute into second half but his effort was ruled offside.
Gyan, who plays for Italian club Modena, almost added a second in the 51st minute. He rattled in a shot from 25 yards but Cech at full stretch managed to turn it around the post.
Then it was Kingson's turn to earn his corn as he tipped over Plasil's effort from an acute angle.
The game took another twist in the 64th minute when Ghana were awarded a penalty after Tomas Ujfalusi's trip on Amoah.
Ujfalusi was given a straight red card by referee Horacio Elizondo but the Czechs had a reprieve when Gyan's spot-kick came back off the post.
Down to 10 men, they were being stretched by the pacey Africans and Cech made a great clearance with his legs from Muntari, who was at Manchester United as kid but could not get a work permit.
Gyan was getting lots of space but was again wasteful in the 78th minute after a neat through-ball from Amoah.
However, Ghana sealed the victory they fully deserved with a thunderbolt from Muntari four minutes later after Gyan had provided the opening.
This was no fluke either even though the Czechs were without strikers Milan Baros and Jan Koller through injury.
Ghana, ranked 48 places behind their opponents in FIFA's official world rankings, set the tempo from the off and showed no ill-effects from their opening defeat by Italy.
Some of their football was breathtaking and the only wonder was why the African nation, fashioned by a coach from Serbia and Montenegro, did not win by a bigger margin. Instead they had to settle for early and late goals from Asamoah Gyan and Sulley Muntari.
Ratomir Dujkovic's side made the breakthrough after just two minutes thanks to one of the tournament's promising youngsters.
Gyan supplied the perfect finish after Stephen Appiah had delivered a good cross into the area from the left.
Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech was stunned as it was the first goal the Czech Republic had conceded in five games.
They hit back after eight minutes, however, with a swift counter-attack but Jaroslav Plasil's effort cleared the bar.
Then Pavel Nedved tested Ghana goalkeeper Richard Kingson after a neat one-two with Tomas Rosicky.
Ghana, though, looked impressive going forward. Appiah twice came close while Gyan saw his close range effort blocked by Cech. Matthew Amoah also sent a shot wide.
Arsenal's summer signing Rosicky, who scored twice in the defeat of the USA in the first game, showed a surprising lack of confidence a minute before half-time. He clipped a close-range shot wide after Karel Poborsky had sent in a teasing cross from the right.
Then in stoppage time in the first half Nedved tried to cut inside but Otto Addo made a timely clearance to round off a superb first half by Ghana.
Nedved found the net a minute into second half but his effort was ruled offside.
Gyan, who plays for Italian club Modena, almost added a second in the 51st minute. He rattled in a shot from 25 yards but Cech at full stretch managed to turn it around the post.
Then it was Kingson's turn to earn his corn as he tipped over Plasil's effort from an acute angle.
The game took another twist in the 64th minute when Ghana were awarded a penalty after Tomas Ujfalusi's trip on Amoah.
Ujfalusi was given a straight red card by referee Horacio Elizondo but the Czechs had a reprieve when Gyan's spot-kick came back off the post.
Down to 10 men, they were being stretched by the pacey Africans and Cech made a great clearance with his legs from Muntari, who was at Manchester United as kid but could not get a work permit.
Gyan was getting lots of space but was again wasteful in the 78th minute after a neat through-ball from Amoah.
However, Ghana sealed the victory they fully deserved with a thunderbolt from Muntari four minutes later after Gyan had provided the opening.
posted by dgarden at 1:24 pm
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