Alain Traore scored with one minute left to give Burkina Faso a 1-0 win over Ghana Saturday and third place in the Africa Cup of Nations. The Turkey-based attacker thumped an angled freekick over goalkeeper Richard Ofori and into the net in Gabonese coastal city Port-Gentil. It was the second highest finish in the biennial African football showcase for the Burkinabe Stallions, who finished runners-up four years ago. The Black Stars of Ghana has played in five third-place play-offs, losing four. Ghana could have been several goals ahead by half-time as it dominated possession only to be let down by poor finishing and bad luck. New Swansea City signing Jordan Ayew handled when poised to shoot from close range with the play-off less than a minute old. Stand-in captain Emmanuel Agyemang Badu headed just wide in the third minute and Bernard Tekpetey struck the crossbar during a goalmouth scramble. Napoli thrashes Bologna Marek Hamsik and Dries Mertens both scored hat tricks as Napoli demolished Bologna 7-1 away Saturday after a wild first half which featured five goals, two sendings off and a missed penalty. Bologna's Mattia Destro saw his spot kick saved by Pepe Reina when Napoli were only two goals ahead while Napoli's Jose Callejon and Bologna's Adam Masina were sent off within minutes of each other. The win lifted Napoli, Serie A's highest-scoring team with 55 goals, into second place with 48 points, one ahead of AS Roma. Leader Juventus has 51 points. Monaco goes 3 points clear Radamel Falcao scored a second-half brace as Monaco defeated Nice 3-0 Saturday to carve open a three-point lead ahead of its Cote d'Azur rivals at the top of Ligue 1. Valere Germain headed in the opening goal on 47 minutes at the Stade Louis II before Falcao turned in Monaco's second with an hour gone. The Colombian stroked home a third for the hosts nine minutes from time as Monaco avenged a 4-0 thrashing from the reverse fixture in September. In Dijon, PSG struck twice in the final 10 minutes through captain Thiago Silva and leading scorer Cavani to keep pace with Monaco. On Friday, Metz made it an unhappy return to Ligue 1 for Dimitri Payet as Marseille slumped to a 1-0 loss in the northeast. Spurs edge past Boro Harry Kane struck from the penalty spot to give Tottenham Hotspur a 1-0 victory over struggling Middlesbrough at White Hart Lane Saturday and reduce the gap on Premier League leaders Chelsea to nine points. Spurs outclassed Middlesbrough throughout, but took almost an hour to transfer their dominance to the scoreboard, England striker Kane firing home a 57th-minute penalty after Son Heung-min was felled in the box by Bernardo. The win left Spurs in second on 50 points, nine behind Chelsea and three ahead of North London rivals Arsenal, while Middlesbrough remained 15th on 21 points. — Agencies
