Ivory Coast beat Ghana 1-0

MOHLAKENG, South Africa - Ivory Coast Under-23 national soccer side enhanced their chances of qualifying for the Sasol Nations Cup semifinals with a hard-fought 1-0 win over Ghana at Mohlakeng Stadium on Monday.

The Ivorians are now six points clear at the top of Group B after winning their first match 1-0 against Mozambique in katlehong on Sunday night.

Striker Koni Kono Issa Hamed scored the only goal of the match against the Ghanaians, whose chances of reaching the semifinals are now slim.

This comes after Ghana were pipped 2-1 by Zimbabwe during their opening match of the tournament in Soweto on Sunday.

Ghana and Mozambique are the only two countries in this group who are still to pocket a single point in this eight nation tournament.

Ghana and Ivory Coast are among the five countries who will represent Africa during the World Cup finals in Germany in June.