Hearts, Okwahu draw in charity match
Africa misses out in World Cup expansion
Accra Hearts of Oak will play Angolan champions AS Aviacao in the second round of the African champions league. The first leg would be played in Angola between the weekend of 16 May and 18 before hosting the Angolans in the return leg at the Accra Stadium on 1 June.
Though not traditional giants the Angolans coached by Portuguese Bernadinho Pedroto have challenged the dominance of the likes of Petro Athletico and Primero de Augusto thanks to the money of the nation’s airlines.
And just like Hearts qualified for the second stage of the competition after a superb performance away from home this weekend. Trailing 1-2 from the first leg, they won 2-0 in Kampala against Uganda’s SC Villa to go through on a 3-2 aggregate Hearts booked their second round tickets after two failed attempts courtesy a 3-1 win against Togolese champions AS Douannes.
Hearts coach Herbert Addo already says the second round stage, which would decide which eight teams make the league stages of the competition would be the most difficult.
GRi…/
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Accra (Greater Accra) 05 May 2003 - Accra Hearts of Oak, fresh from their impressive win against Togolese champions AS Douanes in an African champions league preliminary match in Lome last Sunday failed to make hay when they were held one all in a special charity cup fixture played at the Accra Sports Stadium on Sunday.
The "Reggae Boyz," as the Okwawu lads are now referred to because of the dread locks of their new trainer Nana Agyemang, scored in the first minute and the champion club had to wait until three minutes into lost time to get the leveller.
Eric Mensah's headed goal from a corner kick appeared to take the wind out of the sail of the champions as they failed to resurrect from the shock and had to struggle for a greater part of the game against a gritty Okwawu side.
The Okwawu boys played above themselves as their rasta-haired coach Agyemang gave instructions at the least opportunity in a bid to keep his lead, in fulfilment of his earlier boasts to beat Hearts.
The dominance and competitiveness of the visitors forced coach Herbert Addo to effect three changes in the first half to strengthen his team. He made five more changes in the second half in a bid to equalise.
Hearts also substituted goalkeeper Mohammed Saani with international goalkeeper Sammy Adjei on 46minutes. The Phobians who drew inspiration from the partisan crowd lifted their game and dominated most parts of the last quarter of the game but all their chances went waste as the attack marshalled around veteran Emmanuel Osei-Kuffour lacked coordination upfront.
The closest they came to scoring was in the 79th minute when Fatau Duada tipped off the line and then saved an incisive dipping shot by Kuffour. In one of the Phobians numerous moves upfront, Osei-Kuffour was brought down in the penalty box and referee Charles Dowuna accordingly whistled in the Phobians' favour. Amankwa Miraku scored for the rainbow shirts to set up a return encounter at the same venue on Wednesday.
GRi…/
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Latest on Ghanaian
players in Europe (May 2 – 4)
By: Francis Akoto
The performances of Ghanaian players across the leagues in Europe at the weekend: (Updated constantly...Check for updates)
AUSTRIA
Sturm Graz 2 SV Salzburg 2: Charles Amoah got Sturm Graz's first in the 42nd min. "I was in the stadium, Amoah had a really good day. Very impressive, he is getting better and better, coach changed him 75 minute, as he brought in an austrian youngster, but not because of his performance." -- Armin
BELGIUM: Jupiler League
CZECH
DENMARK: Superleague
FC Midtjylland – Silkeborg IF 2-1
FC Midtjylland: Peter Skov-Jensen, Ulrik Lindkvist, Martin Nielsen (78: Kim Olsen), Søren Skriver, Jan Frederiksen, Jesper Mikkelsen, Thomas Thomasberg, Thomas Rathe, Bo Hansen (83: Kenneth From), Razak Pimpong (72: Christian Magleby)
FRANCE
Olympique Marseille claimed back top spot in Ligue 1 after beating 10-man Bastia 2-1 on Saturday.
GERMANY: Bundesliga
Bayern Munich 1 Kaiserslautern 0: Leaders Bayern Munich, who sealed an 18th German crown last weekend, stayed 13 points clear at the top with a 1-0 home win over Kaiserslautern courtesy of a late effort from Samuel Kuffour.
The Ghanaian defender enabled Bayern to celebrate in style before their fans after deciding the title race in Wolfsburg. He also provided the Bavarians with a morale boost before they play Kaiserslautern again in the German Cup final on May 31 in Berlin.
Hansa Rostock 3 Schalke 1 Lineup for Hansa Rostock : Schober;Kientz, Jakobsson, Hill; Aduobe,Wimmer (74. Rydlewicz), Lantz, Persson (62. Arvidsson), Hirsch; Vorbeck, Prica (89. di Salvo)
Borussia Dortmund 2 VfL Wolfsburg 2
VfL Wolfsburg: Ramovic;Rytter, Biliskov, Schnoor, Weiser;Karhan, Sarpei (75. Quattrocchi), Thiam;Präger (46. Maric), Klimowicz (46. Petrow), Ponte
GREECE: Hellenic National League
ISRAEL
ITALY: Serie A
In the battle for Champions League qualification spots Chievo moved within three points of fourth-placed Lazio after a 3-1 win over relegation-threatened Piacenza. Cheivo: Chievo: Ambrosio; Mensah (Grassadonia 74), Legrottaglie, D'Anna, Pesaresi (Lorenzi 41); Luciano, Perrotta (De Franceschi 53), Corini, Franceschini; Bjelanovic, Pellissier Perugia 0-0 Brescia: Appiah played 90 minutes
Torino 0-1 Udinese: Muntari came on as a substitute 10 minutes to the end of the game. Ufdinese scored their goal two minutes later
NETHERLANDS
Vitesse beat NAC 3-1: Vitesse booked their first win under new trainer Edward Sturing after beating NAC 3-1 at home. Matthew Amoah opened the score in the 19th minute, rounding off a Bob Peeters assist from 3 meters for the half time score. 3 minutes into the second act NAC drew level after Engelaar struck home with a fine left-footed shot high into the left corner. In the 56th minute Mathew Amoah was once again on target when he robbed the ball off Mark Schenning before racing through to fire past unprotected Gabor Babos in the NAC goal.
Ajax Amsterdam 6 RKC Waalwijk 1: Ajax smashed RKC 6-1 at home with a brilliant display of football. Abubakari Yakubu came on in the 61 minute, with the score at 3-0
FC Zwolle 3 Roda JC Kerkrade 1: Zwolle booked a surprise win against Roda JC. Eric Addo's had a terrible game and was replaced in the second half.
NORWAY: Tippeligaen
POLAND
[From Armin Graf] -- "The most Important Match in Wrschau was played this weekend - the derby Legia Warschau against Polonia Warschau. Legia is fighting for the Champion Title, Polonia for an UEFA - Cup place. Seth Ablade came in as subsitute in the 55 minute in a strikers role. This was his first game, as he came late and could not make the prepearation with Polonia Warschau. In the full stadium of 35.000 fanatic fans, who shouted -Ablade-Ablade- after his first few dribblings, the Ghana future talent was having a perfect second half. He gave 3 passes for 100% goal chances, but his team-mates missed. The 19 year old Ghanian is on his way to the first 11 of the Poland Top Team (Champions in 2001), and in this form, a very hot name for the U-21 national Team of Ghana, as he already was a member of the U-17 National Team, which took unbeaten the 3. Place at the U- 17 World Cup 1999 in New Zealand - congratulations to Seth Ablade"
ROMANIA
RUSSIA
SWEDEN
Ibrahim Atiku played 15 min for Vasteras SK as they won 3-1 against Gefle. Ibrahim had a good 15 min. He got a penalty when he was brought down a minute after coming on.
Report from Swedish Paper; Translated by Anders Ljunggren
The new youth star from Ghana, Ibrahim Atiku, came on in the 76th min. First time he touched the ball, in his debut, he got a penalty. But Thomas Andersson could not score on the penalty when the keeper saved it.
Atiku kept playing very well and the Gefle defenders had big problems to handle his speed and technic. He gave the VSK strikers some good passes, but they did not score. But Atiku looks very good and will for sure give VSK some strong midfield in the coming matches and hopefully bring back some more fans to the home matches. The fans can't remember when they had a "artist" in the team before like this Atiku.
SWITZERLAND
Delemont 1 St. Gallen 4: Tachie Mensah scored one of St Gallen's 4 goals.
TURKEY
Göztepe 0-1 Ankaragücü
Ankaragücü: Zafer Özgültekin, Adem Dursun, Gökmen Barış, İ.Burak Özsaraç, Yılmaz Özlem, Ramazan Özalp, Hakan Keleş, Reinaldo V.Simão, Özgür V.Yıldırım, Ümit Ozan Kazmaz, Augustine Ahinful
Bursaspor 2-1 Fenerbahçe
Fenerbahçe: Recep Biler, Ümit Özat, Erhan Albayrak, Serhiy Rebrov, Tuncay Şanlı, Fatih Akyel, Semih Şentürk, Erman Yıldırım, Samuel Johnson, Miroslav Stević, Fahri Tatan
Samsunspor 4-3 Elazığspor
Elazığspor: Richard Kingson, Erhan Eren Kurnaz, Cem Beceren, Zé Roberto, Erdem Genç, Erhan Namlı, Mehmet Ali Çakmak, Ümit Hatipoğlu, Cem Yanık, Juray Czinege, Hacı Arif Durgut
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Africa will not be considered for extra places, after Fifa provisionally agreed to expand the World Cup from 32 to 36 teams. Africa currently has five places in the 32-team World Cup since the finals in France and South Korea-Japan. But if football’s world governing body ratifies the four new places in another two months, South America, Europe, North America and Asia will gain.
Europe will have two more entrants, while the other places would go to Conmebol and the winners of a play-off between Asia and North America. The move is expected to be confirmed if a way can be found to accommodate the increase while not adding to the length of the tournament and coming up with a credible qualification system.
"The majority of the executive committee take the view that to go from 32 to 36 teams is a good idea, but we have to find a calendar that makes it possible," said Fifa president Sepp Blatter.
A meeting of Fifa's executive committee on 28 June will approve the move at a special meeting. Conmebol - one of whose members includes current World Cup holders Brazil - after they lost half a qualification place to Oceania, put the idea forward in March.
GRi…/
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