Accra, Ghana - The Liberian "Lone Stars" played a determined game to defeat host Ghana 4-2 on penalties to win the 3rd Cup of African Nations for Amputee Football (CANAF) tournament.
With the win Liberia become the first and only team to have captured the Gold in the biennial tournament twice in its six-year history.
Ghana took a commanding 2-0 lead in the first half courtesy of a double from its top marksman Collins Gyamfi.
The Liberians, however, returned strongly in the second half exposing the Ghanaian defence with their characteristic aerial balls and effective set pieces.
Hon. Clement Kofi Humado, Ghana Minister for Youth and Sports
Francis Adjety Sowah, President, Amputee Football Federation of Africa
|
Within a spate of 11 minutes, the Liberians had drawn parity and taken the lead thanks to a brace from playmaker Festus Harrison and one from Anthony Doe to stun the sizable crowd at the stadium.
Ghana drew parity in the closing stages through Gyamfi to force the game into extra time.
Both teams played spectacular football in the action-packed extra period but failed to put the ball at the back of the net, sending the fixture into penalty shoot-out to decide the winner.
Ghana missed two spot kicks while Liberia scored four, which put a seal on the Liberian championship for the second consecutive time.
Earlier, Angola thumped Sierra Leone 3-0 to win the bronze.
Cooper George, head coach of the Lone Stars, nickname of Liberia's national amputee team, expressed delight over the win, saying that his side was better placed to capture the next African amputee football "Holy Grail."
|
|
AFFA Elects New officers
During the highly succesful CANAF in Accra, delegates to the Amputee Football Federation of Africa elected new Executives to steer affairs for the next four years. The new AFFA Officers are:
President - Francis Adjetey Sowah (Ghana)
1st Vice - President- Habiba Lamido (Nigeria)
1st Vice - Presient (Technical)- Prince Are( Nigeria)
2nd Vice President - Harouna Ousmane (Niger)
Treasurer - Samuel Eastman (Liberia)
Secretary General - Mambud Samai (Sierra Leone)
Referee’s Representative - Antonio Luciano (Angola).
In all, 31 delegates from six countries attended the AFFA Congress.
"We thank God for giving us the strength to win this tournament ... We are aiming to win the next championship to write our names in the history of amputee football in Africa and the world at large," he added.
Liberian captain Festus Harrison was named the best player of the tournament while Ghana duo Cephas Abban and Collins Gyamfi were voted best defender and Goal King respectively.
Dabate Manuel of Angola emerged best goalkeeper while Niger received the fair play award.
Each member of the first best three national teams was presented with medals with Liberia lifting the trophy.
The tournament, organized by the Amputee Football Federation of Africa and Ghana Amputee Football Federation, were participated by six teams from Angola, Ghana, Liberia, Niger, Nigeria and Sierra Leone.
Coverage compiled from Shout-Africa.com and Spyghana.com
|
