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Asamoah Gyan gave Ghana an African Nations Cup lifeline with a stoppage-time winner against Algeria in Mongomo.

Avram Grant's Black Stars knew victory was vital after an opening defeat to Senegal in Group C, but the four-time winners looked as if they were coming up short before Gyan showed his predatory instincts with virtually the last kick of the game.

Gyan, back in the starting line-up after a bout of malaria, burst on to a long diagonal ball from substitute Mubarak Wakaso and, under pressure from Carl Medjani, finished with an angled right-footed drive into the corner of the net to secure a 1-0 victory.

Algeria coach Christian Gourcuff had decided to attend the match following the death of his mother in France and it looked as if his side were on course to build on their victory over South Africa with a point.

Defender Faouzi Ghoulam drilled a 20-yard free-kick wide after four minutes and Algeria should have opened the scoring when Aissa Mandi scampered down the right and his cross found Nabil Bentaleb, but the Tottenham midfielder scuffed his shot wide from 12 yards.

Ghana midfielder Afriyie Acquah was perhaps fortunate not to see red for his rash two-footed challenge on Yacine Brahimi with referee Koman Coulibaly judging it as a yellow card offence.

The Mali official was struggling to control an increasingly tetchy affair and there was another flashpoint when Ishak Belfodil angered Emmanuel Agyemang-Badu, who reacted by grabbing hold of the Algeria striker's shirt.

Bentaleb responded by angrily shoving Badu but the referee failed to produce any cards when tempers eventually cooled.

In what was a dire half of football on a difficult surface at the Estadio de Mongomo, Ghana finally threatened right at the end of it as Christian Atsu surged into the penalty area and almost set up Gyan.

The former Sunderland striker had given Madjid Bougherra the slip for once but Mandi covered superbly to curb the danger.

Ghana showed more enterprise at the start of the second half with Gyan directing Harrison Afful's cross wide before the Ayew brothers - Andre and Jordan - combined to almost open up the Algeria defence.

Algeria were now operating more on the counter-attack and Sofiane Feghouli freed Bentaleb in one such raid but his shot drifted wide of Rais M'Bolhi's goal.

It looked as if Ghana's second-half improvement would count for nothing but then Gyan struck at the death to spark wild celebrations among the Black Stars' supporters.