Congo have kept alive their hopes of progressing to the quarter-final stage of the African Nations Championship with a 1-0 victory over Ethiopia in Mangaung tonight.

Rudi Bhebey-Ndey proved the hero for Congo by hitting the only goal of the game to preserve his team's chances of progressing from Group C while eliminating Ethiopia in the process.

The sides went into the clash knowing that defeat would see them knocked out of the competition having lost their opening fixture, and both teams reacted accordingly.

Both outfits raced out of the traps and missed good opportunities to edge ahead in the contest. Asrat Megersa headed over the bar from 10 yards after just six minutes, before their Central African counterparts responded well through Lankolo, whose 25-yard free kick sailed narrowly past the post moments later.

Congo would have taken the lead seven minutes into the second half if not for the intervention of goalkeeper Jemal Tassew, who produced a smart save to deny Bersyl Obassi's goal-bound effort.

Hardy Binguila saw his bid to open the scoring rebuffed by the frame of the goal, before Bhebey ensured that the miss was academic by firing his side into a deserved lead minutes later.

The 27-year-old ran on to a lofted pass from Binguila before smashing his half volley-past Tassew from close range to end Ethiopia's resistance and hopes of moving into the last-eight stage of the tournament.

Congo now sit one point adrift of co-leaders Libya and Ghana ahead of the final group game.