Hearts Beat Santos

It took a moment of quick thinking in Cape Town's howling wind on Sunday to keep alive Hearts of Oak's chances of progressing to next month's final of the Confederation Cup.

Ghanaian international Bernard Don Bortey ensured all three points for the visitors as they beat Santos of South Africa 1-0 in front of a sparse crowd on a chilly afternoon.

With a strong wind blowing directly down the pitch in the first half, Bortey took perfect advantage of the elements to hit a shot from the half-way line and into the back of the net.

The shot caught Santos' goalkeeper Ryan West off his line and, with the assistance of the strong breeze, sailed majestically over his head and into the back of the goal.

The Ghanaians took some time to get out of the starting blocks as Santos created the early chances.

But once Bortey had put them in front, Hearts looked the more enterprising. They had a second-half effort from Prince Tagoe cleared off the line denying them an insurance goal.

It meant a nervous end to the game for Hearts, who made some defensive changes to protect their lead, particularly after Santos had introduced the tall striker Jean-Marc Ithier in the second half.

Hearts of Oak: 28-Sanni Mohammed; 6-Yaw Amankwah Mireku, 2-Harris Acquah, 21-Dan Coleman, 4-Daniel Quaye; 18-Eric Nyarko, 9-Adjah Tetteh (3-Emmanuel Osei Kuffour 76'), 14-Louis Agyeman (17-Lawrence Adjei 66'), 11-Bernard Don Bortey; 24-Prince Tagoe (27-Michael Donkor 81'), 19-Francis Bossman
GROUP B:

 P  W  D  L GF GA  Pts 
 Cotonsport (CMR)     5  3  2  0  7  0  11 
 Hearts of Oak (GHA)  5  3  1  1  7  3  10 
 Sable Batie (CMR)    5  1  1  3  3  7  4 
 Santos (RSA)         5  1  0  4  1  8  3