We Will Not Be Complacent In Final Four Games – Preko

Assistant coach Yaw Preko has said Accra Hearts of Oak will not be complacent going into the last four games of the first round of the 2015/2016 Ghana Premier League (GPL) season.

The Phobians lead the standing by a point after 11 games, and, will next play Sekondi Hasaacas at home as they seek to preserve their leadership of the table.

Further games before the first round ends, will come against Aduana Stars at Dormaa, Liberty Professionals in Accra and Dreams FC at Dawu.

And Preko says they will not be complacent going into these games as there is a lot at stake to be won by the club.

”We have some very tough games ahead of us to close the first round of the league, and will approach them with all seriousness, hoping to win all,” Preko told the club’s official newspaper, the Hearts News.

“These are games that will help define how we will approach the second half of the season, and, we intend to win them all to maintain our position on top of the table,” he added.

The Phobians will head into the Hasaacas game, one point ahead of second place Wa All Stars, and, Preko believes a win will set them up for the rest of campaign.

“We know the quality of Hasaacas, and, we will not take them lightly on Wednesday; they have lost all their away games, but, that does not mean we will have it easy,” the former Ghana international said.

“Playing against a big club like Hearts of Oak will inspire them to put out a performance worthy of note, and, we are aware of this and, have been preparing well for them,” he assured.

“It will be the same approach in the other three games after this, and, we believe we can produce the results that will keep us at the top of the ladder when the first round ends,” the deputy Ghana U-20 coach added.

“These are all difficult games, but, we trust in the quality of our boys to step-up to the table and, perform very well at anytime,” he promised.

We Will Not Be Complacent In Final Four Games – Preko

Murray To Play Djokovic In Italian Open Final

 

Murray will return to number two in the world rankings on Monday, even if he loses the Rome final

British number one Andy Murray reached his first Italian Open final with a straight-set victory over unseeded Frenchman Lucas Pouille.

Murray, seeded second, won 6-2, 6-1 in a rain-interrupted semi-final at Rome’s Foro Italico to make Sunday’s final.

He now meets Novak Djokovic – who beat him in last week’s Madrid Open final – after the Serb defeated Kei Nishikori.

In the women’s singles, top seed Serena Williams will face Madison Keys on Sunday in an all-American final.

Murray makes swift progress despite rain

World number three Murray, who will be 29 on Sunday, broke serve four times as he won in 59 minutes.

The first semi-final was delayed by an hour because of heavy rain, and the players were forced off for 15 minutes during the first set.

“I think it is the first time since I’ve been on Tour that I’ve not had a chance to hit balls before going on to the court,” said Murray.

“It pretty much rained non-stop and then they flipped the schedule around so I didn’t feel that comfortable coming on to court.

Djokovic beat Murray in last week’s Madrid Open final

“But he made a few mistakes and I served well to make it easy for myself.”

In between the showers, Murray was at his ruthless best against world number 52 Pouille, playing his first ATP Masters semi-final.

The 22-year-old looked nervous as he dropped serve from 40-0 in the fourth game and – after that brief rain delay – Murray broke again to clinch the set.

It was a similar story in the second set, with Murray repeatedly drawing his opponent into the net and setting up the passing shot.

Two more breaks of serve gave Murray the match and he left the Centrale Court in sunshine, having surpassed his best effort of reaching the last four in 2011.

“A lot of the best players of all time have played, won and competed for the title here, so I’m very happy to get the chance to do that,” added Murray.

“After 10 years of kind of struggling on the clay and especially this event maybe not playing my best, I’m happy to be there.”

Djokovic provides final test

Novak Djokovic converted only two out of 14 break points in a thrilling semi-final against Kei Nishikori

Murray completes his preparation for the French Open, which starts on 22 May, by facing world number one Djokovic in Sunday’s final.

The Serb, 28, needed to dig deep to beat Nishikori in the second semi-final, eventually prevailing 2-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7-5) in a match lasting a minute over three hours.

“Any time you get the chance to play the best players, especially right before a Slam, is great preparation,” said Murray, who has won just one of his past 13 matches against Djokovic.

“Regardless of who I play in the final, I know I will be pushed hard. That’s what you want.”

Murray is bidding to win the third clay-court title of his career after finally succeeding on the surface in back-to-back tournaments last year.

“Clay is not my most natural surface, but because of the wins I’ve had on it in the last few years, once I’ve played a few matches and had a bunch of practice sessions on it, I do start to feel much better,” said Murray, who reached the semi-finals at Roland Garros in 2011, 2014 and 2015.

“I believe that I can compete with the best players on this surface now, because of the wins I’ve had in the last two years.”

Serena Williams has won 15 successive matches against American opponents since sister Venus beat her at Montreal in 2014

Serena finding form before French Open

Williams reached her fourth Italian Open final with a 6-4 6-1 win over Romania’s Irina-Camelia Begu.

The world number one missed the start of the clay-court season through illness, but is finding form before her title defence at Roland Garros.

Williams is one Grand Slam victory away from equalling Steffi Graf’s record of 22 singles titles in the Open era.

And, after beating world number 35 Begu in one hour and 26 minutes, she is one victory in Rome away from her 70th career title.

Keys, 21, stands in her way after a shock 7-6 (7-5) 6-4 victory over third seed Garbine Muguruza.

The unseeded American, ranked 24th in the world, had already produced the best European clay-court performance of her career to reach the last four.

BBC

Murray To Play Djokovic In Italian Open Final

Ibrahimovic Scores Double In Final PSG League Game

Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored twice in his final Paris St-Germain league appearance in a game which was briefly stopped for a standing ovation.

PSG’s all-time top scorer is leaving the club this summer and after 10 minutes the game with Nantes was halted while fans applauded their number 10.

By scoring twice, he broke another club record – for most goals by a PSG player in a league season, with 38.

He chested in an opener, and headed home to make it 4-0 late on.

His 89th-minute goal saw him overtake Carlos Bianchi’s 37-goal league haul of 1977-78.

The 34-year-old Swede has scored 154 goals in 179 appearances in his four years in France. Next Saturday’s French Cup final against Marseille will be his final game for the club.

PSG have won Ligue 1 in each season Ibrahimovic has been at the club, with the veteran – who has been linked with a move to LA Galaxy – winning the golden boot three times.

His 38 goals in 31 league games this season saw him finish 17 goals above second-placed Alexandre Lacazette of Lyon.

BBC

Ibrahimovic Scores Double In Final PSG League Game

Djokovic Beats Murray In Madrid Open Final

World number one Novak Djokovic beat defending champion Andy Murray 6-2 3-6 6-3 in the Madrid Open final.

The defeat means the 28-year-old Briton will lose his world number two ranking to Roger Federer on Monday.

The Scot was blown away in the opening set, but fought back to level, only to fall to the Serb’s power and accuracy in the decider.

Djokovic now moves ahead of Spain’s Rafael Nadal with a record 29 ATP Masters 1000 titles.

The Serb underlined his current dominance as he claimed his fifth title in the past six Masters tournaments but he was pushed hard by Murray, exemplified by a 14-minute final game as Djokovic survived six deuces and seven break points to hold for the match.

“The first couple of break points I remember making two mistakes,” said Murray.

“It was kind of back and forth from there and unfortunately I couldn’t quite break, which was a shame because both of us on the break points until that last game were pretty clinical.”

Djokovic broke Murray’s serve in the opening game and the 2011 winner gave a masterclass combining powerful ground shots with brutal accuracy as he found the lines with uncanny regularity.

Murray found his second serve coming under huge pressure and Djokovic duly earned a double break before racing to the first set in just 31 minutes.

In the second, however, the Scot’s serve began to click into gear and, having won just 17% of points on his second serve in the first set, he increased it to an impressive 60% in the second.

Djokovic made crucial forehand and backhand errors in the third game before serving a double-fault to be broken for only the second time in the tournament.

The Madrid crowd who were muted as Murray beat local favourite Rafael Nadal 7-5 6-4 in Saturday’s semi-finals were now encouraging the Briton, who responded with some of his best tennis of the week as he won the set with a cheeky drop shot from the back of the court.

It was Djokovic’s turn to regroup and after a comfortable hold needed just one of two break points to take the early initiative in the decider.

But this was a different Murray from the opening set and the Scot immediately broke back with Djokovic again serving a double fault at the crucial moment.

Again, however, the world number one raised the bar and this time it proved crucial with a decisive break in the sixth game.

“When you play against the best players, you are probably not going to win every single time,” said Murray. “But you want to make the matches extremely difficult for them: physically and mentally, so it’s not comfortable. So I think at least today I did that, but unfortunately didn’t get the win.

“It’s been a positive week for me this week overall – a few years ago I wouldn’t have thought I’d be winning against Rafa and then pushing Novak this close on a clay court.”

“Murray began the match a shadow of the man who had played so well in Madrid all week. The first set wasn’t a contest, but once given an opening by the world number one early in the second, Murray started playing with real conviction, and pushed his man to the limit.

“At 2-2 in the decider the match was genuinely in the balance. Djokovic’s response, though, was characteristically brilliant, and after surviving a bout of jitters and a 14-minute final game, he deservedly clinched his record 29th Masters series title.”

BBC

Djokovic Beats Murray In Madrid Open Final

Murray To Face Djokovic In Madrid Open Final

Defending champion Andy Murray will face world number one Novak Djokovic in the Madrid Open final on Sunday.

British number one Murray beat nine-time French Open champion Rafael Nadal 7-5, 6-4 in the first semi-final.

Djokovic then racked up a seventh victory in a row over Japan’s Kei Nishikori, going through 6-3, 7-6, (7-4).

Murray is looking to hold on to his world number two ranking, which he will lose to Roger Federer unless he retains his title in Madrid.

Murray, who sent down eight aces and saved 11 of 13 break points, said he was “going back in the right direction again” after losing early in Indian Wells and Miami in March.

“I think it’s big – it’s not easy. Not loads of players have won against Rafa on clay throughout his career,” he said.

“To beat him in Spain on a clay court is obviously a big challenge. It’s a big step for me from where I was four or five weeks ago.”

Murray established an early lead in the opening set of the semi-final, earning three break points in Nadal’s second service game and holding his composure to break the Spaniard.

The momentum appeared to swing Nadal’s way when he responded by taking Murray’s serve, but it was the Scot who took the first set with a winning forehand that broke the home favourite for a second time.

World number five Nadal, 29, was looking for a third successive tournament victory following wins in Monte Carlo and Barcelona last month.

But Murray followed his only double fault with an ace at 2-2 to hold in the second set before immediately breaking Nadal.

Nadal repelled a first match point with a break of his own, but Murray did not waste a second opportunity to repeat his victory over the same opponent 12 months ago.

The Spaniard believed he “was a little bit unlucky” in the second set but acknowledged that Murray “adapted better than me” to the cool, cloudy conditions, which meant the ball did not bounce as high as he would have liked.

“I think in the first set he played better than me. I think in the second it was a different story,” said Nadal.

“I played more aggressive, I increased the intensity and rhythm of the game and had more opportunities than him in the second.”

Dominant Djokovic powers to another win

Djokovic moved closer to his second Madrid crown and his 14th successive victory over other top 10 players.

The Serb took the only break point on offer in a tight opening set and looked to have ended Nishikori’s resistance when he won against the serve again in the fifth game of the second.

Djokovic was on course for a comfortable win, but he momentarily lost his concentration while serving for the match at 5-4 and paid the penalty.

He mistimed a simple overhead while up three match points and then served a double fault on the way to losing his first service game of the tournament.

Nishikori had shown his battling qualities but ran out of steam in the tie-break and Djokovic needed just one of his two match points to seal victory.

On the prospect of only his fourth meeting with Murray on clay, Djokovic told Sky Sports: “Andy has improved tremendously on clay and has proved he is definitely one of the best in the world on this surface.

“The rivalry continues and we’ve had so many good finals. I look forward to another one.”

BBC

Murray To Face Djokovic In Madrid Open Final

UEFA Defends Europa League Final Venue

UEFA has defended its decision to host the Europa League final at St Jakob-Park, which has a capacity of 35,000.

The home of Swiss club FC Basel will become the second smallest venue to host the competition’s final when Liverpool face Sevilla there on 18 May.

The executive committee of European football’s governing body made its decision in September 2014.

“Of course, it is impossible to predict in advance which clubs will reach the final,” UEFA said on its website.

“Europe’s largest stadiums are usually selected to host the Champions League final, and UEFA tends to select slightly smaller, top-quality venues for the Europa League final.

“This means UEFA can give more of its national associations an opportunity to host a club final, and gives fans across Europe the chance to experience a major final in their home nation.”

Liverpool have been allocated 10,236 tickets for the final, with Sevilla given a similar amount.

An additional 8,000 went on general sale, with the remainder taken by the local organising committee, national associations, commercial partners, broadcasters and the corporate hospitality programme.

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp, whose side overturned a first-leg deficit to beat Villarreal in the semi-finals, said he could find “30 million people who want to see the game”.

“It is a wonderful opportunity for all of us to play this final but we cannot change the stadium so we cannot think about this,” he said.

“I have been to Basel one or two times, it is a wonderful stadium and a wonderful city.

“It is even worth going there without having a ticket for the game to be around the stadium and enjoy yourself and enjoy life as a Liverpool supporter.”

However, the club has urged supporters who do not have a ticket not to travel to the Swiss city for the final.

BBC

UEFA Defends Europa League Final Venue

Marseille, Dortmund Set Up Cup Final With PSG, Bayern

French giants Olympique Marseille and German powerhouse Borussia Dortmund have set up a domestic cup final date with Paris St-Germain and Bayern Munich respectively.

Marseille edged past Sochaux 1-0 in their French Cup semi-final game on Wednesday to set up a final against Ligue 1 champions Paris St-Germain.

Borussia Dortmund advanced to the final of the German Cup against Bayern Munich also on Wednesday after their impressive 3-0 triumph over Hertha Berlin.

Marseille who are currently struggling in 15th place in the French league, just six points above the relegation zone, will face PSG in the final on Saturday, 21 May.

PSG can complete a league and cup double for a second consecutive season with victory over their main French rivals.

The German Cup final will take place on Saturday, 21 May at Berlin’s Olympic Stadium between the two biggest clubs in the country, Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund.

 

Marseille, Dortmund Set Up Cup Final With PSG, Bayern

Bayern Munich, PSG Reach Cup Final

Bayern Munich and Paris St-Germain (PSG) have reached domestic Cup finals after important semi-final wins on Tuesday.

Bayern reached the German Cup final with a 2-0 victory over Werder Bremen with Thomas Muller scoring both goals for the German champions.

Pep Guardiola’s side will play Hertha Berlin or Borussia Dortmund on 21 May in the final at Berlin’s Olympic Stadium.

Hertha will play Dortmund in the other semi-final game today for an opportunity to contest the final in the German capital.

PSG advanced to the French Cup final with a 1-0 win over Lorient with striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic scoring his 43^rd goal of the season.

The French champions will play either Sochaux or Marseille in the final.

Bayern Munich, PSG Reach Cup Final

Tennis: Czech Republic To Face France In Fed Cup Final

The Czech Republic will take on France in the Fed Cup final after both teams came through decisive doubles contests to win their semi-finals.

France’s Caroline Garcia and Kristina Mladenovic saw off surprise semi-finalists the Netherlands in Trelaze.

Karolina Pliskova and Lucie Hradecka gave the Czechs victory over Switzerland in Lucerne.

The Czech Republic will try to win the Fed Cup for the fifth time in six years in November’s final.

Kiki Bertens beat Mladenovic in singles to put the Dutch 2-1 up against France, and within sight of another huge shock after they beat Russia in Moscow in the quarter-finals.

However, Garcia then beat 257th-ranked Arantxa Rus in straight sets, before teaming up with Mladenovic to battle past Bertens and Richel Hogenkamp 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 in the doubles.“It’s difficult to get so close to your goal and then lose, it’s hard to take,” said Dutch captain Paul Haarhuis.

Viktorija Golubic, ranked 129th in the world, had kept Switzerland in touch with the Czechs thanks to two singles wins, but she and Martina Hingis went down 6-2, 6-2 to Pliskova and Hradecka in the decider.

“It was sensational the way they played,” said Czech captain Petr Pala.

“The key was the depth of our team today. It gave me more opportunities to make the doubles team. It is a great feeling for the camp. The sprit is there, everybody wants to win the cup.”

The final will take place in France, with the venue yet to be decided, on 12-13 November.

Credit: BBC

Tennis: Czech Republic To Face France In Fed Cup Final

Nadal To Play Monfils In Monte Carlo Masters Final

Eight-time winner Rafael Nadal recovered from a set down to beat Britain’s Andy Murray to reach the Monte Carlo Masters final.

Murray broke twice to take the opening set 6-2, but wilted under the Spaniard’s power and accuracy to lose the next two 6-4, 6-2.

The win was Nadal’s seventh over Murray in eight meetings on clay and puts him into his 100th ATP World Tour final.

He faces Gael Monfils who beat fellow Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 6-1, 6-3.

Murray beat Nadal for the first time on clay in last year’s Madrid Masters final, but his hopes of being only the third player to earn back-to-back victories over the world number five on the surface were dashed in a brutal two-and-a-half-hour encounter.

Monfils overwhelms TsongaNadal will start a short-priced favourite when he plays France’s number 13 seed Gael Monfils in Sunday’s final.

Monfils started underdog against compatriot and eighth seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the other semi, but took advantage of his opponent’s sluggishness around the court to dominate throughout.

Tsonga was a shadow of the player who beat Roger Federer in Friday’s quarter-final and even when he managed to break Monfils to get back on serve at 4-3 in the second set, he immediately lost his own again, allowing his compatriot to close out the match in comfort.

Credit: BBC

Nadal To Play Monfils In Monte Carlo Masters Final

Kobe Bryant Scores 60 Points In Final NBA Game

Five-time NBA champion Kobe Bryant scored 60 points in his final game after a 20-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers as they came from behind to beat Utah Jazz 101-96.

It was the sixth time the NBA’s third highest scorer had scored 60 points in a game, beaten only by Wilt Chamberlain.

“You can’t write something better than this,” said 37-year-old Bryant, who made his Lakers debut in November 1996.

Basketball fans paid up to $27,500 (£19,315) to see Bryant’s final game.

Bryant attempted 50 shots on the night, the most by anyone in an NBA game in the last 30 seasons.

Kobe Bryant stats

Five-time NBA champion
Third on the NBA’s all-time scoring list
18-time an All-Star, 11 times first-team All-NBA
Tops Lakers’ all-time points, three-pointers, steals and games played

He led the Lakers as they overturned a 20-point deficit at half-time, scoring 23 points in the fourth quarter of his 1,556th game with the team.

Bryant finished with 33,643 regular-season points – third on the NBA’s all-time scoring list behind Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (38,387) and Karl Malone (36,928).

He checked out with 4.1 seconds left, as a sell-out crowd at the Staples Center chanted: “Kobe! Kobe! Kobe!”

The 18-time All-Star addressed the crowd, saying: “What can I say? Mamba out.”

Lakers legend Magic Johnson had earlier told the crowd: “He never cheated us as fans, He has played hurt, and we have five championship banners to show for it.”

Credit: BBC

Kobe Bryant Scores 60 Points In Final NBA Game

Venus Williams Fails To Reach Quarter Final At Volvo Car Open

Former world number one Venus Williams’ attempt to win her 50th WTA title at the Volvo Car Open ended when she lost to Kazakhstan’s Yulia Putintseva.

The 35-year-old American lost 7-6, (7-5), 2-6, 6-4 in the last 16 in Charleston.

Putintseva’s victory over the third seed, who is seventh on the WTA’s all-time wins list, set up a quarter-final with Italy’s Sara Errani.

It was the first time the 21-year-old had beaten Williams in four career meetings.

Credit:BBC

Venus Williams Fails To Reach Quarter Final At Volvo Car Open

Djokovic To Play Nishikori In Miami Masters Final

Novak Djokovic will play Kei Nishikori in Sunday’s Miami Open final after both went through in straight sets.

Serbia’s Djokovic, the five-time champion and world number one, beat Belgian David Goffin 7-6, (7-5), 6-4 on a hot afternoon.

Japanese sixth seed Nishikori beat Australian Nick Kyrgios 6-3, 7-5 in the evening session.

“It’s going to be tough,” said Nishikori, who has won two of eight matches against Djokovic.

“We just played in Australia and I lost in straight sets, so I need to do something better.”

Djokovic, 28, will try to match Andre Agassi’s record haul of six Miami titles, and become the first man to win the Indian Wells-Miami double three years in a row.

Djokovic bent down and kissed the court after finally seeing off 15th seed Goffin in a gruelling two hours and five minutes.

“It was evident that we both struggled with conditions,” said the Serb.

“Physically, it was a great battle. I think we were both trying to catch some breath after some points. It was windy, it was warm, it was humid.”

The top seed came back from a break down in the first set, before Goffin missed a golden opportunity with the open court gaping at 4-4 in the tie-break.

“I was on the back foot in that point, he was dictating,” said Djokovic. “He came to the net and I anticipated where he might smash the ball, he framed it a little bit.

“I had to defend well, which I think I did at the end of the tie-break.”

Nishikori too sharp for Kyrgios

Kyrgios had shown off his firepower in beating Milos Raonic on Friday, but he could not handle Nishikori’s pinpoint accuracy from the baseline.

The Australian dropped serve with a double fault in game three, and did the same on set point six games later.

Nishikori looked to be faltering when he failed to hold for 3-0 in the second set, but the Japanese player avoided the need for a tie-break with a lunging volley on his second match point.

“It was tough. When he plays me he plays so aggressive, doesn’t let me dictate points,” said Kyrgios.

“I felt rushed out there, I was really looking for answers. I’ve been struggling on my serve all week, so to come this far without having my best weapon is a pretty good effort.”

Nishikori, 26, is through to his first Miami final and second at the Masters 1000 level.

Credit: BBC

Djokovic To Play Nishikori In Miami Masters Final

Serena Willaims Reaaches 88th Career Final

World number one Serena Williams will face Victoria Azarenka in Sunday’s BNP Paribas Open final at Indian Wells.

The American, 34, reached her 88th career final by beating Poland’s Agnieszka Radwanska 6-4, 7-6 (7-1).

It took 2012 champion Azarenka just over two hours to see off Karolina Pliskova, with the 26-year-old Belarusian winning 7-6 1-6, 6-2.

“This year has been great. It feels so great to be supported,” said Williams, twice a winner of the tournament.

“It’s been a great comeback here in Indian Wells. I’m excited about that.”

Williams won seven games in a row to take the first set and go 3-0 up in the second, before seven successive points clinched victory in the tie-break.

She has won 23 of her 24 matches at Indian Wells, taking a self-imposed 14-year exile from the event amidst allegations of racial abuse from fans after sister Venus withdrew minutes before their semi-final in 2001.

“I had a lot of support, I heard a lot of ‘go Serenas’ and that was kind of cool,” added Williams, who won the tournament in 1999 and 2001.

Serena Willaims Reaaches 88th Career Final

Alhassan Wakasu Suffers Portuguese Cup Semi Final Setback Aaway To Braga SC

Ghanaian midfielder Alhassan suffered a slim 1-0 defeat in the first leg semi finals of the 2016 Portuguese Cup away to SC Braga.

The 23 year old last Rio Aves defensive screen spanned the full throttle of the tie and was a booked in the early stages of the night for a reckless challenge.

Pedro Santos seventh minute spot kick proved to be the match winner for SC Braga ahead of the return leg away to Rio.

Wakasu bossed affairs from the centre of the pitch for the ambitious Rio but was powerless to prevent his side from losing the first leg despite their spirited performances.

The defensive midfielder pocketed his 23rd appearances of the season for the mid table Rio Aves in a thrilling 1-0 win for Braga at the Municipal Axa Stadium in Portuguese.

The former Portimonense utility man has made himself a regular fixture for Rio Aves in the ongoing 2015/16 European season and will be looking to revenge the score line when Braga comes visiting for the return leg.

The winner of the tie will take most likely lock horns with 2004 Europeanchampions FC Porto after their commanding first leg win over Gil Vicente on the road.

Alhassan Wakasu Suffers Portuguese Cup Semi Final Setback Aaway To Braga SC

Nana Akwesi Asare on the brink of Belgian Cup Final berth

Ghanaian defender Nana Akwasi Asare is on the verge of sealing a place in the 2016 Belgian cup final after guiding Gent into a first leg semi final win.

The 30 year old centre back starred prominently at the back for Gent as they edged out Club Brugge in the first leg of the Belgium Cup semi finals.

A last gasp strike from Sven Kums won the cup tie 2-1 ahead of the return fixture on February 3, 2016.

Nana Asare lasted the full throttle of the thriller at home to their bitterest rival in the competition. Abdulaye Diaby broke the virginity of the tie seven minutes to recess as the visitors headed into the dugouts with their heads high.

Belgium international Brech Dejaegere however restored parity for the home side on the hour mark before Sven Kums won the game with a 90th minute header. The return fixture is slated February 3, 2016 away to the high flying Clube Brugge.

Nana Asare could end the season with a double if Gent can seal a final berth and build ob their three points lead over the second place Brugge in the league as well.

Ex Dreams FC striker Benjamin Tetteh watched from the bench as Standard baptised RKC Genk in the first semi final tie.

Black stars midfielder Yaw Kumordzi came on in the last embers of the game but could not prevent his side from shipping two goals on the night.

Nana Akwesi Asare on the brink of Belgian Cup Final berth