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Taiwo stunner as Super Eagles soar
PORT SAID, Egypt (Reuters) -- Nigeria left back Taye Taiwo scored with a stunning free kick in the 85th minute to give the Super Eagles a 1-0 win over Ghana in their opening African Nations Cup match on Monday. Taiwo, who was close with a similar effort in the first half of the Group D match, blasted a left-foot effort into the bottom corner from around 30 meters. Senegal striker Henri Camara inspired his side to a 2-0 opening win over Zimbabwe in the other Group D match later on Monday at Port Said. Camara made the breakthrough with a well-taken goal on the hour and then set up the second for substitute Issa Ba to seal the points with his first touch of the ball in the 81st minute. Senegal made life tough for themselves by missing two open goals in the first half while Zimbabwe's Benjani Mwaruwari squandered a golden chance to score when Senegal were 1-0 ahead. The win was a timely boost for the Lions of Teranga, who surprisingly missed out on a place at the 2006 World Cup finals with Togo qualifing at their expense. In the first group game, the Black Stars missed an excellent chance in the 70th minute when forward Matthew Amoah headed wide from six meters. Senegal should have gone ahead after five minutes when Camara chipped the ball over goalkeeper Gift Muzadzi to El Hadji Diouf, who contrived to miss from two meters. Somehow, they produced a similar miss in the 28th minute. This time Diomansy Kamara sprang the offside trap and broke down the right to reach the byline. After dallying over his cross, he finally chipped the ball to the far post where the unmarked Rahmane Barry knocked the ball wide. Senegal finally broke the deadlock on the hour when Habib Baye slipped a perfectly time pass to Camara, who beat the offside trap, rounded Muzadzi and slotted the ball into an empty goal. They paid the price in the 81st minute when Issa Ba added Senegal's second less then one minute after coming on. Okocha absentNigeria were missing captain Jay-Jay Okocha, who had failed to recover from a thigh injury he picked up during a pre-tournament training camp in Portugal. With both teams happy to try their luck from long range, the first half produced a flurry of chances. Olympique Marseille's Taiwo set the tone with a blistering 30-meter free kick in the 25th minute which was pushed away by Ghana goalkeeper Sammy Adjei. Nigeria then had two good chances when Adjei dropped successive corners but they were unable to capitalise on them. At the other end, Mathew Amoah hit the post with a left-foot shot from 25 metres and shortly afterwards had his effort blocked rounding Vincent Enyeama. Peter Odemwingie's 20-meter shot forced Adjei to make another awkward save before Julius Aghahowa fired into the side netting after working an opening on the edge of the area. Adjei again had difficulty blocking a 30-meter effort from Wilson Oruma just before the break. In the 51st minute Obafemi Martins, who had a generally quiet match, struck the post from a narrow angle after pouncing on a defensive mistake and rounding the Ghana keeper. Shortly afterwards, Laryea Kingston's shot was palmed away by Enyeama and then Yakubu Abubakari's shot was blocked in the same Ghana attack. Ghana then missed two excellent chances in the space of one minute. In the 69th minute, Stephen Appiah's shot deflected into the path of Kingston, whose effort was superbly turned away by Enyeama at point-blank range. A minute later, Kingston picked out Amoah with an inswinging cross from the right but the unmarked Borussia Dortmund striker headed wide from six meters. Both teams appeared to have settled for a point when Taiwo struck. 
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