ACCRA, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- Ghana beat Nigeria 2-0 in the first leg of the final qualifier for the Championship of African Nations (CHAN) tournament in the Ghanaian city of Cape Coast.
The home team, determined to pick up all three points, began strongly, but the visitors put in an equally good performance to frustrate the Ghanaians.
Despite the quality displayed by the two West African rivals, the first half ended goalless.
In the second half, an early attack initiated by Ghana resulted in a penalty, which danger man Daniel Afriyie Barnieh converted in the 49th minute to put the home team ahead.
Ghana kept piling pressure on Nigeria, and their efforts paid off in the 85th minute when Seidu Suraj tapped into the net an incisive cross to score Ghana's second and final goal.
The return leg will be played in Lagos, with the aggregate winner qualifying for the 2023 CHAN tournament to be hosted by Algeria.
Ghana had failed to qualify for the last three editions of the CHAN tournament. ■
