Ghana Survive Uganda Scare

Uganda Cranes showed nerves as they battled to a 1-1 draw against hosts Ghana in a 2015 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier played at the Baba Yara Stadium Stadium in Kumasi on Saturday.

The home side, who were under lots of pressure after their poor performance at the 2014 Fifa World Cup in Brazil, benefitted from a penalty decision in the 46th minute after Waris Majeed went down.

Dede Ayew converted past goalkeeper Dennis Onyango who had a good game for the Uganda. Iceland based midfielder Tony Mawejje had given the visitors the lead in the 44th minute with a hard shot after the Ghanaian defenders failed to clear a loose ball.

The Black Stars returned hungry in the second half and netted the equalizer, but Coach Milutin 'Micho' Sredojevic's team stood firm and defended well. Ghana's leading all-time scorer and skipper Asamoah Gyan was kept at bay for long periods of the game.

'We are disappointed that the referee awarded such a cheap penalty, but we are happy we managed to get a point against a strong Ghana side,' Sredojevic told SuperSport.com during a press briefing.

Skipper Andrew Mwesigwa said they had followed the game plan for the entire 90 minutes. 'We should have won, but a draw is not bad,' he added.

The Cranes will next host Guinea on September 10 at the Mandela National Stadium, Namboole. Guinea defeated Togo 2-1 in the first Group E match on Friday.

SUPERSPORT