Derek Asamoah celebrated his recall by Ghana with the stoppage-time winner in a 2-1 friendly triumph over Gabon in a Parisian suburb Tuesday.
The striker from South Korean club Pohang Steelers scored on 92 minutes in Saint Leu-la-Foret to end a deadlock that had existed since half-time between two of the 16 qualifiers for the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations.
Emmanuel Agyemang-Badu from Italian club Udinese converted a 10th-minute penalty for the Black Stars from Ghana and Eric Moloungui equalised just before the break for the Panthers.
Ghana and Ivory Coast are early favourites for the biennial African flagship football tournament to be staged between January 21 and February 12 in Gabon and Equatorial Guinea.
A Gabonese side coached by German Gernot Rohr lost 2-0 at home to five-time world champions Brazil last Thursday while Sierra Leone pulled out of a weekend friendly fixture against Ghana.
Nigeria atoned for being held goalless by Botswana last Saturday on the debut of coach Stephen Keshi when the Uche brothers scored a goal each for a flattering 2-0 win over Zambia in northern city Kaduna.
Switzerland-based Kalu Uche steered the ball into the net from close range on nine minutes after a break and cut-back from Ahmed Musa, who constantly troubled the Chipolopolo (Copper Bullets) with right-flank raids.
Zambia had plenty of second-half possession in the first outing under rehired French coach Herve Renard only to squander several scoring chances and Ikechukwu Uche delivered the killer blow a minute into stoppage time.
Nigeria were shock casualties of the Cup of Nations elimination process, leading to former national team centre-back and captain Keshi replacing Samson Siasia, while Zambia made it to the 2012 tournament by winning another group.
South Africa rested a number of first choices, including captain and Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Steven Pieenar, and suffered a 2-1 defeat in neighbouring Zimbabwe after leading at half-time.
Debutant Turkey-based striker Bradley Grobler -- the latest experiment by Bafana Bafana (The Boys) coach Pitso Mosimane to try and solve a scoring crisis -- displayed clinical finishing to score on 28 minutes in Harare.
But Zimbabwe striker Knowledge Musona did even better in the second half by scoring twice to punish opponents he knew well having spent several seasons at Kaizer Chiefs in Johannesburg before joining German club Hoffenheim this year.
Guinea, smarting from a four-goal mauling by Senegal last weekend, snatched a 1-1 draw with fellow Cup of Nations qualifiers Burkina Faso in France through an Ibrahima Conte goal after Yahia Kebe opened the scoring in the first half.
Libya and Belarus drew 1-1 in a fiery Dubai clash that saw the red card flashed three times and Niger came from behind to draw 1-1 against Botswana in Niamey.
Source: AFP
