Mensah the hero and villain as Ghana beat Botswana

JOHN MENSAH scored, then saw red as 10-man Ghana held on to beat Botswana in their African Nations Cup Group D opener.

The Lyon defender, formerly of Sunderland, scored the only goal with his knee after 25 minutes in Franceville, then earned a straight red midway through the second-half for a professional foul. It means Mensah will miss their next match against Mali, but he had already made the telling contribution of a poor game against lowly Botswana.

Neither side had created much when Emmanuel Agyemang-Badu’s corner was flicked on at the near post by Asamoah Gyan and Mensah was on hand to provide an inelegant but effective final touch.