WRAPUP 1-Soccer-Nations-Ghana oust Nigeria, I.Coast hit five

By Brian Homewood

TAMALE, Ghana, Feb 3 (Reuters) - Ten-man Ghana came from behind to beat arch-rivals Nigeria 2-1 in the African Nations Cup quarter-finals on Sunday while Ivory Coast scored four times in the last 20 minutes to thump Guinea 5-0.

As the tournament continued to throw up goals and drama in equal measure, Junior Agogo scored an 82nd-minute winner for the hosts to stun the disappointing Super Eagles.

Salomon Kalou scored twice and his Chelsea team mate Didier Drogba also hit the target for Ivory Coast after they had toiled for 70 minutes against Guinea.

Ghana will face Cameroon or Tunisia in Thursday's semi-final in Accra while Ivory Coast will play Egypt or Angola in Kumasi.

Ghana's win sent thousands of fans out onto the streets of Accra to celebrate, some carrying replica coffins covered in the green and white of Nigeria.

"It's a fantastic team effort, they are really 11 heroes," said Ghana coach Claude Le Roy, who criticised the second-half sending off of defender John Mensah for a professional foul on Peter Odemwingie.

"John did not make a single mistake in the game and I have seen players not sent off for professional fouls much worse than that," he said.

Nigeria coach Berti Vogts, whose team managed only three goals and failed to reach the last four for the first time in five Nations Cup tournaments, said: "We made one or two mistakes and that is not allowed in international football.