A packed stadium of 45,000 went delirious with delight in Accra on Sunday night as hosts Ghana overcame Guinea in the last minute of regulation time to win the opening match of the 2008 African Cup of Nations soccer tournament.

"It's going to bring our confidence up," a calm Michael Essien, the Chelsea midfielder, told a television journalist directly after the match. The Black Stars won by 2 goals to 1.

Ghana dominated play in the first half, stopping their fans' hearts three times as they hit the posts. They kept up the pressure in the second half, opening the scoring after 10 minutes with a penalty taken by Asamoah Gyan after 10 minutes.

Guinea hit back within another 10 minutes, when Oumar Kalabane equalized with a header which went into the net off the bar. But Sulley Muntari stole the match for Ghana in the dying minutes with a stunning shot from 25 metres out.

On Monday, Namibia plays Morocco in Group A, and in Group B Mali plays Benin and Nigeria lines up against Côte d'Ivoire.