John Mensah scored the only goal of the game as Ghana opened up their African Cup of Nations campaign with a win over Botswana.

However, the match ended on a sour note for the Ghana skipper as he was later handed a straight red card.

The Black Stars controlled large parts of opening half and finally broke the deadlock with 24 minutes played. The former Sunderland centre-back reacted quickest to head in a corner from close range.

Asamoah Gyan and Jordan Ayew had chances to extend Ghana's lead after the break, but their efforts were palmed away by Botswana goalkeeper Marumo.

Ghana ended the match a man light when Mensah was handed his marching orders for a tackle on Jerome Ramatlhakwane.