Ghana progress to next round of World Cup qualification
JOHANNESBURG: Captain Andre Ayew converted a controversial penalty in his 100th international appearance on Sunday to take Ghana into the African World Cup qualifying play-offs with a bruising 1-0 victory over South Africa.
The former West Ham United midfielder sent rival skipper Ronwen Williams the wrong way from the spot kick in Cape Coast on 33 minutes for the lone goal of the Group G decider.
Ghana were awarded the penalty when the Senegalese referee ruled that Leicester City defender Daniel Amartey had been pushed, but TV replays suggested the home player dived.
Ghana and South Africa tied on 13 points and both had plus-four goal differences, but the Black Stars won the section because they scored seven goals, one more than South Africa, over six rounds.
Ethiopia finished third ater Abubeker Nasir neted four minutes from time to snatch a 1-1 draw with Zimbabwe in Harare.
Kudakwashe Mahachi had put the hosts ahead before half-time with a long-range strike that whistled past goalkeeper Teklemariam Shanko.
The Democratic Republic of Congo also progressed to the play-offs ater defeating Benin 2-0 in Kinshasa through goals from Dieumerci Mbokani and Ben Malango to win Group J.
Ghana and DR Congo join Egypt, Mali, Morocco and Senegal in the play-offs, along with four other group winners to be decided on Tuesday.
The contenders are African champions Algeria and Burkina Faso ( Group A), Tunisia, Equatorial Guinea and Zambia (Group B), Nigeria and Cape Verde ( Group C) and Ivory Coast and Cameroon (Group D).
In Kinshasa, Mbokani converted a 10th-minute penalty in a match the Congolese Leopards had to win to overtake Benin, and a Malango header on 74 minutes sealed maximum points.
Kuwait-based Mbokani quit the national team four years ago, but was persuaded by fellow forward Cedric Bakambu to return for the World Cup campaign and has scored four goals.
Reaching the final stage on the road to Qatar is a huge boost to DR Congo ater failing to qualify for the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon, which has been postponed until January because of Covid-19.