1.
GV Nigeria in white kicking off playing from right to left
0.14

2.
SV Crowd
0.18

3.
GV Ghana attack, driven back, force throw on near right corner flag
0.50

4.
LV Crowd
0.51

5.
GV Ghana throw-in, Nigeria clear pressure
1.14

6.
SV Ghana attack but shots blocked at edge of area
1.26

7.
LV Crowd
1.28

8.
GV Ghana score from penalty
1.33

9.
GV & CU Crowd
1.41

10.
GV Nigeria restart, Ghana gain possession and attack
2.13

11.
SV Crowd
15.6

12.
SV Ghana attack down right, attacker scores with volley
2.27

13.
SV Ghanaian goalkeeper clears (SECOND HALF) upfield to forward who scores third goal
2.53



Initials CL/2035


SPORT: SOCCER

Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved

Background: Last week's soccer game between a Ghanaian and Nigerian student side almost caused the abandonment of the Friendship Games between the two countries. Happily Sunday's match between Ghana's Black Stars and Nigeria's Green Eagles on the last day of the Games was clean and well contested.

Black Stars beat Green Eagles 3-0 to win the football series in the second Ghana-Nigeria Sports Festival 4-2 on aggregate. Nigeria won the first leg match 2-1. The gold medal for soccer was some consolation to the Ghanaians for Nigeria's higher overall medal tally in the Games.

Ghana had trouble prising open the Eagles defence. It took a penalty after full-back Owura Agyei had handled for captain Kwasi Owasu to start the scoring for Ghana after 25 minutes.

Hammond's first time volley from Yaw Sam's cross put Ghana 2-0 up before half time.

The third goal came only two minute from time, Polo latched onto Hammond's through ball to score with an accurate left foot shot.

SYNOPSIS: After trouble in the previous week's soccer match between a Ghanaian and Nigerian student side, officials must have been relieved that Sunday's match between Ghana's Black Stars and Nigeria's Green Eagles was a cleanly contested affair. The Nigerians are in white.

Ghana's Head of State Colonel Acheampong stepped in personally to get the Games continued after the game between the student sides. Nigerian officials ordered their side from the pitch causing the temporary abandonment of the Games after the incident in which a Nigerian Player was alleged to have struck a Ghanaian player and slapped a Ghanaian military official. In this game the Green Eagles held the Ghanaians back with keen tackling but there were few fouls.

Nigeria was well ahead of Ghana in the medal table for the Games, so the Ghanaians were particularly anxious to take the gold medal for football.

Nigeria won the first leg two-one so Black Stars had a goal deficit to make up. They kept pressing forward but the Nigerians were clinging to their one goal advantage from the first leg and if they could not tackle, they at least managed to get in the way.

But Nigerian full-back Owura Agyei handled he ball - and his side's one goal advantage had gone. Black Stars captain Kwasi Owusu took the penalty.

Nigeria restarted.

The goal seemed to have sapped their morale a little. Ghana gained possession and were soon pressing forward again urged on by the crowd. They were keen to overhaul the Nigerian's first leg lead in the twenty minutes remaining before half time.

That attack failed out the Black Stars were soon back in the Nigerian half and an optimistic first time swing by Hammond brought the second goal.

In the second half the Nigerians - playing from left to right - denied the Black Stars any more goals until two minutes before time. Polo latched onto a good through ball from Hammond to score the finest goal of the match, completing the Black Stars convincing three-nil win, and earning the football gold medal for Ghana.