On this day 12 November 1965 (Exactly 54 years ago today) Ghana’s Black Stars started their Africa Cup of Nations title defense on a high, beating Congo-Leopoldville (now Republic of Congo) 5 -2 in their Group B opening match in Sousse, Tunisia
Goals Scored
Ghana
Osei Kofi(13) Ben Acheampong Simmons(18,59)Cecil Jones Attuquayefio(84, 89)
Congo DR
Pierre Kalala Mukendi (43pen 45)
Ghana Line-up: John Bortey Naawu, Ben Kusi, Charles Addo Odametey, Sam Acquah, Willie Evans,Kwame Nti, Ben Acheampong Simmons, Osei Kofi, Cecil Jones Attuquayefio,Kofi Pare, Frank Odoi.
Congo DR: Makiadi Castello, Pierre Katumba, Antoine Lessa, Mabela ‘Routier’,
Paul Mbuli, Joseph Kibonge Mafu ‘Gento’, Augustin Diantela, Kabala, Pierre Kalala Mukendi, Kabeya wa Kabamba ‘Sotcho’, Albert Mwila.]
Referee: Seyoum Tarekegn (Ethiopia).
On this day 12 November 2011 (Exactly 8 years ago today) Ghana defender Harrison Afful scored midway through the first half to give Tunisian club Esperance a 1-0 victory over Moroccan visitors Wydad Casablanca and the CAF Champions League trophy.
Afful darted down the right flank, cut inside and unleashed an unstoppable left-foot shot that flew past stand-in goalkeeper Yassine Bounou for the tie-clincher after a 0-0 first-leg draw in Casablanca.
Wydad were reduced to ten men in first-half stoppage time when defender Mourad El Massane was red-carded after an off-the-ball incident with giant Cameroonian striker Yannick Ndjeng.
Esperance last won the competition in 1994 and had finished runners-up three times since, most recently when humiliated 6-1 overall the previous year by TP Mazembe from the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The closeness of the decider was no surprise as Esperance and Wydad also drew twice in the group phase, 2-2 in Casablanca and 0-0 in Rades on the outskirts of the Tunisian capital.
On this day 12 November 1995 (Exactly 24 years ago) German Benetton driver Michael Schumacher crashed in the season-ending Australian Grand Prix in Adelaide but claimed his second straight F1 World Drivers Championship by 33 points from Damon Hill.
On this day 12 November 2012 (Exactly 7 years ago today) Novak Đoković of Serbia won his second season-ending ATP World Tour Finals tennis title beating 6-time champion Roger Federer 7-6, 7-5 in the final in London. England
BY: GEORGE ‘Alan Green’ MAHAMAH
