Ghana (6) v (4) Scotland

By Tim Beissmann

Both Ghana and Scotland could easily have qualified for the Homeless World Cup Final, but the 6-4 win to the Africans to take third place was celebrated as hard as winning the ultimate prize.

The familiar Ghanaian chants bellowed from the wings before the start of play, joined by a rendition of "Scotland the Brave" on the bagpipes.

Both sides are renowned for their fast-paced game style, and it was the Ghanaians who peppered the goals early through Nicholas Ofosu.

Scottish keeper Steven McMullen had no time to warm up but was fortunately switched on and denied the early assault.

The Scots presented with an unusual starting four, leaving key player Alec Wade on the bench for the first half.

Stuart Black proved to be a more than useful replacement however, banging through two in 10 seconds to give the Scots the early lead and bringing the crowd to their feet.

It did not take Ghana long to get into the mood, with the dangerous Richard Saban working hard and slamming home a huge strike from his defensive half.

The pace of the match was immense in the opening five minutes, with both teams eager to make the most of their opportunities.

The Ghanaian keeper barked instructions to his forwards and was not let down by Saban who sent two shots just above the crossbar and made McMullen dive for everything.

An incredible double save from McMullen, where he saved the ball and it flew in the air forcing him to dive and punch it again, had the fans gasping.

Two late goals to Ghana from Saban and Winfred Ahadzie, the second through a turnover, gave them the lead at half time, stealing it away from the Scots.

Scotland was trying to play their possession style football but the pace and aggression of Ghana made it difficult and forced different tactics for the second half.

Scotland's three substitutes had them looking fresh when they resumed the field, but two quick goals from Prince Boadu pushed the lead out to 5-2.

The next three minutes was as tense competition as we have seen so far, Scotland's Paul Deeney desperate in defence and in setting up big striker Wade, who narrowly missed some heavy shots.

Quick goals to each side took an extra minute off the clock, and Scotland felt that they were running out of time.

This was most evident through a rushed penalty attempt by Wade, who needed to take more time and steady, but instead put it way over the crossbar.

A final minute chip-in cross to Michael Branna brought the Scots back to 6-4 down, but time beat them and they were forced to settle with a most respectable fourth position in the tournament.

For the Ghanaians, their hard-running and exciting play throughout the week truly deserved their reward of third place, and will no doubt return home with their heads held high.

Photos: Photoworx