Accra, June 22, GNA - The Black Stars of Ghana cruised to the 1/16 stage of the 2006 FIFA World Cup after beating the United States of America (USA) 2-1 in the last group E match on Monday.

The Stars took lead in the 22nd minute when Haminu Dramini capitalised on a defensive error by Claudio Rayna and made a piercing move into the USA defence before slotting the ball beyond a stranded goalkeeper Kessey Keller.

The lead was however cancelled in the 43rd minute when Clint Dempsey fired in a thunderbolt after latching onto a great through ball from Damascus Beasley from the left.

But the Stars did not relent in their efforts to move ahead as they restored their lead in the 46th minute through a penalty. This was after Razak Pimpong was brought down in the box of USA and skipper Stephen Appiah made no mistake by converting from the spot. In the second half, it was a tight game with each side battling to gain supremacy, but nothing came out of give and take, leaving the first half scores intact, thus giving Ghana a 2-1 victory over the fourth rated team in the world.