Former Sunderland loanee John Mensah has produced the only goal to help Ghana to a hard-fought 1-0 win over Botswana in Group D of the African Cup of Nations in Franceville.
The Lyon defender bundled home a corner, which was flicked on by Asamoah Gyan, in the 25th minute but was later sent from the pitch for a last-man tackle on Botswana's Jerome Ramatlhakwane just outside the area.
Ghana managed to hold out with ten men for the final 25 minutes to kickstart their competition with maximum points ahead of their meeting with Mali on Saturday. The Malians take on Guinea this evening before the latter takes on Botswana prior to the Ghana versus Mali fixture.