Tomorrow Ghana will try to restore their wounded dignity when they clash with group leaders Senegal, while Nigeria is expected to cruise past Zimbabwe in Group D Mohamed El-Sayed reports Bringing three of the best teams on the African continent, Group D is deservedly dubbed the Group of Death. Consisting of the three powerhouses Nigeria, Ghana, Senegal and the relatively weak Zimbabwe, the mouth-watering games prompted the fervent fans of the game in the coastal city of Port Said to show up in large numbers to watch the opening day matches. In the first round on Monday, Nigeria beat Ghana 1-0 with a late goal from Taye Taiwo, winning a hard-fought face-off in the opening match of the group. Neither team had many clear chances during most of the match played at the packed Port Said. The Nigerian team, the Super Eagles, had a golden chance to take the lead against the Ghanaians, aka the Black Stars, in the 39th minute when Julius Aghahowa managed to send a tantalising shot in the penalty area but the ball hit the side net. Shortly before half- time, Nigeria's Wilson Oruma made his way through two Ghanaian defenders, but his precise shot was saved by the goalkeeper Sammy Adjei. The Nigerians took control throughout the second half, but their players wasted several chances. Laryea Kingston of Ghana got a clear chance in the 58th minute but Nigeria's goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama's fine save ruined his attempt. While the game was heading for the first draw since the tournament opened on Friday, in the 87th minute Taiwo converted a thundering ground-to-ground free-kick from 30 metres. "I have great respect for Ghana," Nigeria's head coach Austin Eguavoen told reporters after the match. "But what is important now is that we're in the driving seat." Eguavoen said Group D was "tough and we have to concentrate on the next two games." On the other side, Ghana's coach Ratomir Dujkovic seemed determined to make up for the loss. "We have to win our next two matches against Senegal and Zimbabwe, it's that simple," he said. Group D was considered the group of death as World Cup finalists and four-time African Cup champions Ghana, two-time African champions Nigeria and a talented Senegal, which upended France in the 2002 World Cup opener, are competing for two places in the knock-out stage. Key players within the two teams were absent because of injury. Nigeria played without Bolton midfielder and inspiration Jay Jay Okocha, and Ghana came to Egypt without Chelsea's Michael Essien. In the second match of the group, Senegal edged the relatively weak Zimbabwe 2-0. The match, played at the same venue, was further proof that Senegal is one of the main challengers for the 25th African Cup of Nations. Having squandered several chances, Senegal dominated the opening half but couldn't impress. Former African Footballer of the Year El Hadji Diouf could have give his team the lead after six minutes but he failed from point- blank range to net a Henri Camara chip that beat goalkeeper Gift Muzadzi. Senegal continued to exert pressure while Zimbabwe soaked it up. A dangerous cross from Shingayi Kaondera almost reached Benjani Mwariwari but Ferdinand Coly made a well-timed clearance. Shortly before half-time, Camara could have fired the Teranga Lions ahead with a neat finish if it weren't for the referee who cancelled the goal on the pretext that Camara had handled the ball. In the 59th minute Camara threw a stone in the stagnant waters when he dribbled past Gift Muzadzi and hit the ball into an unguarded goal after collecting a through pass from teammate Rahmane Barry. Issa Ba sealed Senegal's victory 10 minutes before time when he scored from close range with the help of Camara. "I'm happy we won," Camara said after the game. "It was difficult because Zimbabwe posed a lot of problems before I scored the first goal. However, at the end we got the result we wanted," Camara told reporters. Peter Ndlovu of Zimbabwe said, "We are disappointed we lost our first game of the tournament. We made a few mistakes and we were punished for making them. However, we hope to correct these mistakes in our next game against Nigeria."
