A 66th minute Joseph Esso effort was enough to hand defending champions Ghana a 1-0 triumph over Gambia in their tournament opener at the Wafu Cup of Nations in Senegal.
The Hearts of Oak striker's goal in the play-off fixture at Stade Lat-Dior in Thies earned the Black Stars a place in the quarter-final of the Cup competition where they will face Burkina Faso on Thursday.
The Scorpions, on the other hand, have been demoted to the Plate Competition, a championship for the eight losing teams in the play-off round.