Players from Czech Republic and Ghana struggle for the ball during the match at the 2006 World Cup Group E football match in Cologne, Germany, June 17, 2006. Ghana won the match 2-0. (Xinhua Photo)

    COLOGNE, June 17 (Xinhua) -- World Cup debutants Ghana have kept alive their hopes of reaching the last 16 with an astonishing but well deserved 2-0 win over the Czech Republic in their second Group E clash here on Saturday, giving the Czechs no space to play while marking a fastest goal of the tournament.

    The Black Stars, who were beaten 2-0 by Italy in their tournament opener, have leveled the points with the Czechs on 3 with the victory and raised to a third place in the group, trailing on goal differences to the Czechs, a 3-0 winner over the United States.

    Ghana's coach Ratomir Dujkovic, however, believed a far better result should come from the performance of his team.

    "I was surprised that we just win 2-0," he joked at a post-match press conference.

    The Serb further commented that only an outstanding display from goalkeeper Petr Cech saved some face for the Czechs, and said: " Petr Cech is an excellent keeper and he stopped it from being four or five-nil."

    "It was a very tough game but my players played excellently," he added.

    Asamoah Gyan netted in the first-ever score for the Black Starsin the Finals in just 75 seconds, as he chested down a centered ball from captain Stephen Appiah and fired past Petr Cech with an unstoppable low shot after the Czechs failed to clear their lines following a corner.

    Sulley Muntari scored the second in 82 minutes, coolly finishing a cross from Gyan to the roof of the net after the latter broke forward down the right, steadied himself and squared the ball to Muntari.

    Before the Udinese midfielder's goal, the Black Stars had missed their best chance to improve the scoreboard in 65 minutes when Ghana were awarded a penalty after Matthew Amoah was brought down by Tomas Ujfalusi in the box, but Gyan's well-struck penalty came off the post though beating Cech.

    And Ghana were forced to pay some price as Gyan was flashed a yellow card, which will rule him out of the next game, after hearing the whistle and firing the ball into the net while the referee was taken an age to show Ujfalusi the red card.

    The Modena striker, having been a constant threat during the game, could have made it two earlier for Ghana after being put in by Sulley Muntari at 32, but he was denied by a great save from Cech who raced out to smother the shot.

    Two minutes earlier in the first half, Matthew Amoah also had a great chance to extend Ghana's lead, but the Borussia Dortmund forward curled the ball high and wide from a position level with the penalty spot.

    The Czech side just couldn't get any control in midfield after the first goal, pushing hard but mostly had long-range shots that were easily saved with the Ghanaians tackling hard and never giving any space to the Czech Republic.

    A catalogue of defensive blunders almost led to a Czech equalizer on the 34th minute, as Roger Kingston dropped a left-wing cross and Pavel Nedved came close to net in before the Ghana defence failed to clear and Tomas Rosicky made his shoot.

    Short into the second half, Pavel Nedved headed in from Karel Poborsky's cross on the 46th minute, but the "goal" is ruled out for offside when he nodded past Kingston. Enditem

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