Ayew brothers seal the deal for Ghana

OYEM, Gabon – Brothers Jordan and Andre Ayew scored later in the second half as Ghana reached the Africa Cup of Nations semifinals with a 2-1 win over the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) last night.

Jordan opened the scoring after 63 minutes of a tight, bruising quarterfinal in northern Gabon and Andre put Ghana ahead again from a 78th-minute penalty.

The Ayews are sons of Ghana football legend Abedi “Pele” Ayew, ranked among the greatest African footballers of all time.

Between the Ayew goals, Paul-Jose Mpoku levelled for DRC with a swerving shot in the 68th minute.

Ghana, seeking a first Cup of Nations title since 1982, will play Cameroon on Thursday in Franceville (9pm) for a place in the final.

Although Ghana had more possession during a goalless first half, it was DRC who came closest to scoring in a stadium surrounded by dense rainforest.

Hull City striker Dieumerci Mbokani featured prominently for the Congolese, and one of his attempts was foiled by the woodwork.

A suicidal back pass from Ghanaian Harrison Afful was intercepted by Mbokani, who rounded goalkeeper Razak Brimah, but his scuffed, angled tap hit the post.

Midway through the half, Mbokani retained possession under pressure from three Black Stars and passed back for Junior Kabananga to blaze over.

As half-time approached, Brimah got lucky twice as DRC continued to look the likelier side to break the deadlock.

A rollercoaster game took another turn when Joyce Lomalisa fouled Christian Atsu and Andre Ayew buried his penalty kick.

Egypt v Morocco kicked off later last night.