Nervous heavyweights Ghana, Mali square off

AP, Friday 27 Jan 2012

Ghana and Mali square off in Group D on Saturday as the African Cup of Nations starts to take shape, even if it’s not the shape many expected

Ghana national team

With the surprise success of co-host Equatorial Guinea—the lowest ranked team at the event—and the first-round failure of Senegal, both Ghana and Mali have sights set on passing safely through to the quarterfinals after opening with nervous victories.

But a win for one at Stade de Franceville will leave the other with a high-pressure final group game to advance.

Ghana assistant coach Kwesi Appiah says “the boys know what is at stake,” while Mali playmaker Seydou Keita is under pressure to guide a youthful team to the knockout stage in maybe his last international tournament.

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