Africa Cup of Nations

[Liverpel]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2013/jan/29/burkina-faso-zambia-africa-cup-nations

Zambia, the defending champions, tumbled out of the Africa Cup of Nations after failing to beat Burkina Faso, who finish the surprise winners of Group C after a goalless draw in Nelspruit.

Zambia threw all they could forward in an increasing effort to breach the Burkinabe defence but could not get the goal they needed to continue their title defence.

They are the first holders to be eliminated at the first stage since Algeria in 1992.

Burkina Faso, outsiders coming into the tournament, finished ahead of Nigeria on goal difference.

[Neil Young]

Look at this kid at one of this afternoon's games. He'd just seen himself on the big screen in the ground.

[Chazza]

I imagine you pranced around in that sort of get up back in the day.

[baitman]

is it .a dwarf

[Neil Young]

I imagine you pranced around in that sort of get up back in the day.

[Liverpel]

Togo have qualified for the quarter finals.

[Liverpel]

A second half brace by substitute Mubarak Wakaso was all Ghana required to book a place in the last four at the expense of Cape Verde at the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations in South Africa.

The two unanswered goals did not arrive on a silver platter on a day Ghana was well-matched by the debutants who appeared the better of the two sides throughout the entire duration of the clash at the Mandela Bay in Port Elizabeth.

A dramatic end to the game the Black Stars had to win to be able to carry on their ambition of ending the nations search for a fifth Nations Cup glory made defeat difficult for the Islanders to hard to take.

Wakoso took Ghana ahead in 53 minutes from the spot after Captain Asamoah Gyan had been fouled in the Cape Verde box.

The Islanders response was instant with an invasion that saw Neves Fernando at the end of a poor defending by the Ghanaian defence. The Captain let fly one from 25 yards, but it went just wide.

Cape Verde fought on and within minutes came inches close to pulling even when goalkeeper Fatua Dauda was called to duty to parry twice goal bound opportunities to keep Ghana in the game.

Then came the turn of Gyan to trouble his markers at the opposite side when he held on well amidst shelving to pick out darting Emmanuel Agyemang Badu only for the latter well-positioned to be flagged offside.

As the debutants took over from here, it took Man of the Match, goalkeeper Dauda to stand in the way of the Islanders and a goal or more following systematic brilliant saves to keep the Black Stars advantage intact.

The Blue Sharks attacked in droves in hope of an equaliser. And while the game entered into the injury time with the entire Black Stars team in the penalty area to defend a succession of attacks, Ghana’s second goal was to arrive.

The losers set a camp in Ghana’s defence with every member of the team, goalkeeper Dias Josimar inclusive. After Stars managed to clear from a corner kick, Mubarak got to the end of the chase and raced towards the opposite end of the field.

With the Cape Verde players running back in hope of catching up the racing Espayol midfielder who was returning to the team after a game ban, Mubarak planted the ball at the back of the net to put Ghana two goals up seconds to end of the game.

The jubilation that greeted the goal was deafening, summing up the relieve of the supporters having sat on thorns all afternoon.

Ghana next play the winner of the Burkina Faso- Togo game at the semi finals billed for Nulsprit.

http://vibeghana.com/2013/02/02/2013-africa-cup-of-nations-wakasos-brace-push-ghana-on/

[Liverpel]

Mali are the breaker of hosts' hearts. For the second successive year, they reduced a packed stadium to disbelieving silence, coming from behind to beat the Africa Cup of Nations hosts on penalties in the quarter-final. On Saturday night in Durban, as in Libreville against Gabon, the goalkeeper Soumaila Diakité was the hero. First he plunged to his right to beat away Dean Furman's penalty, then he stretched even further and lower to deny May Mahlangu. Lehlohonolo Majoro's wild effort, driven way wide, sealed the defeat.

So South Africa's dream is over but they at least restored some pride; there was some honour in their failure. They go out undefeated and, while their opening-day display against Cape Verde was dire, they have the memories of the consummate win over Angola and the dramatic late equaliser against Morocco to sustain them through World Cup qualifying. And for 26 minutes on Saturday, they looked like making the semi-final for the first time since 2000.

Gordon Igesund, the South Africa coach, had warned of the Eagles' height advantage and the frisson of anxiety was palpable in the stadium at each set play. Yet it was a Mali free-kick that led to South Africa taking a 32nd-minute lead. Itumeleng Khune claimed Seydou Keita's delivery acrobatically, sprang up and kicked long. Bernard Parker challenged and, although he went down, the ball ran on for May Mahlangu, a threat all night in his position behind the lone striker.

He worked an opening for Thuso Phala and although his shot was mis-hit it was deflected for Tokelo Rantie to sidefoot home at the back post.

South Africa seemed comfortable at that stage, playing with fluency and freedom that made them almost unrecognisable from the side that had scratched their way to a goalless draw against Cape Verde in the rain of the opening day. But this Mali, inspired by Keita, are admirably doughty: raucous atmospheres seem only to stiffen their resolve to, in their captains words, bring "priceless hope" to their war-torn nation.

Three years ago they came from 4-0 down with 12 minutes remaining to claim a draw in the opening game against Angola in Luanda. A year ago, they came from a goal behind in Libreville to eliminate Gabon on penalties. They had offered little beyond resistance this time but 13 minutes into the second half a rapid break led by Samba Sow culminated in Mamadou Samassa crossing for Keita to head past Khune from close range.

Silence fell over the Mabhida Stadium. South Africa's confidence drained. It took a fine save from Khune to deny Samassa. South Africa had played with great intensity early on; Mali, having sat off and absorbed pressure, looked fresher. Parker succumbed to an ankle injury and was replaced by Siphiwe Tshabalala, out of sorts in this tournament but still the darling of the crowd, the memory of his opening goal at the 2010 World Cup burning strong. The left-back, Tsepo Masilela took a blow to the face and ended up playing with a wedge of tissue hanging from his nostrils. But for all the endeavour, the game plodded inexorably where it had been heading since the equaliser: to penalties and Malian triumph.

Earlier, Ghana had secured their place in the semi-final for the fourth tournament in a row, riding their luck to beat Cape Verde 2-0. Ghana's goalkeeper Fatawu Dauda made a number of fine saves in the second half while Cape Verde were furious with the penalty with which the Black Stars took the lead, Asamoah Gyan going down following a shoulder barge from Carlitos. Mubarak Wakaso smashed the penalty straight down the middle and added his second in injury time, breaking through to roll into an empty net after Josimar Vozinha, the Cape Verde goalkeeper, had gone up for a corner.

"You have to take your own conclusions on the officiating of the match," said the Cape Verde manager, Lúcio Antunes, who will return to his day job as an air-traffic controller before leading his country in a World Cup qualifier away to Equatorial Guinea. "The result is fair because Ghana have good players. The tournament wasn't going to be interesting with Togo versus Cape Verde [in the semi-final]."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2013/feb/02/south-africa-mali-africa-cup-nations

[Liverpel]

Nigeria beat the tournament favourites Ivory Coast 2-1 to reach the semi-finals of the Africa Cup of Nations on Sunday, keeping Didier Drogba and his team-mates from lifting the trophy.

Sunday Mba scored the winner with a shot from outside the area in the 78th minute, helping Nigeria advance to the last four for the sixth time in eight tournaments. The midfielder, who plays in Nigeria, set up the goal with a mazy run and his shot took a deflection off Souleymane Bamba.

Emmanuel Emenike opened the scoring for Nigeria with a long-range shot that was mishandled by the Ivory Coast goalkeeper Boubacar Barry in the 43rd minute, and the Newcastle United midfielder Cheik Tioté equalised in the 50th with a header from a free kick cross taken by Drogba.

Nigeria will now play Mali, who eliminated the hosts South Africa on penalties on Saturday in Durban.

[Liverpel]

Burkina Faso beat Togo 1-0 in extra-time on Sunday to set up an Africa Cup of Nations semi-final meeting with Ghana. Coach Paul Put describes the unlikely victory as a present for Burkina Faso's president, Blaise Compaoré. Put says he gave his players a target of reaching the semi-finals and is now the happiest coach in the tournament

[Liverpel]

"To show our support for the team, we'll declare one week of free sex if the Super Eagles can win the trophy" – Jessica Elvis, national secretary of the Association of Nigerian Pro$titutes, offers an incentive to the national squad if they win the Africa Cup of Nations. Victor Moses and co are in the last four.

[Liverpel]

DURBAN, Feb 6 (Reuters) - Nigeria displayed the class of real champions when they crushed Mali 4-1 and stayed on course to win the African Nations Cup for the first time in 19 years on Wednesday.
A superb semi-final at the Moses Mabhida stadium was won and lost in a blistering 20-minute first-half spell in which Nigeria scored three goals to leave them dreaming of a first title since current coach Stephen Keshi captained them to glory in 1994.

Goals from defender Elderson Echiejile, who stooped to head home after 25 minutes, Brown Ideye, who scrambled one in after 30 minutes and an own goal from Mali defender Momo Sissoko a minute before halftime put Keshi's team in total control.

Why am I bothering with this thread. No-one is reading it.

They made it 4-0 when substitute Ahmed Musa, who replaced the outstanding Victor Moses after 53 minutes scored three minutes after coming on, beating the offside trap and slipping the ball through goalkeeper Mamadou Samassa's legs.
Nigeria also had the ball in the net for a fifth time shortly afterwards, but the goal was disallowed for offside.

Keshi is now one victory away from becoming only the second man in the tournament's 56-year history to win it as a player and coach. The only person to have achieved the feat is Egyptian Mahmoud El Gohary, who won it in 1959 and 1998.
Mali, who famously came back from 4-0 down to draw 4-4 with Angola in the opening game of the 2010 finals, never looked like repeating that feat but did score a consolation when substitute Cheick Diarra fired home in the 75th minute.

That goal did nothing to dampen the Nigerian celebrations that followed the final whistle as the team booked a place in Sunday's final, where they will meet the winners of Wednesday's second semi between Ghana and Burkina Faso.
Keshi, who spent two years coaching Mali and knows most of their players well, said he was obviously delighted with the victory by his young team, which he said should not be compared to his victorious 1994 team.

"We won in 1994 after we had been together for five years," he told reporters.
"But we have been together for five weeks. We met up for the first time in our training camp in Portugal before the tournament, and it was a young group.

"We worked hard, the atmosphere was wonderful but you cannot compare this team to that. We did play very well today and I am very happy but we haven't won anything yet."

SUPERIOR OPPONENTS

Mali, inspired by the conflict in their homeland, and widely tipped to go one better than last year's semi-final appearance, started better but failed with a trio of early chances and could not find a way back into the game once Nigeria took charge.

One of the reasons Mali were considered such a threat was the form in this tournament of skipper Seydou Keita, who has turned the clock back on his 32 years and given the kind of performances he used to give when he was with Barcelona.
But as hard as he tried on Wednesday, he could not reverse Mali's fortunes against superior opponents on the day.

"We played against a very good team, who were better than us on the day," Keita told reporters.
"And that is difficult to handle, especially as the country back home was looking to us and expecting a victory from us but we didn't win it for them, and that is very hard."
Mali actually looked the better team for the opening 20 minutes and Modibo Maiga and Keita had headers that went close while Sissoko unleashed a thunderous effort from 30 metres out that went just over Vincent Enyeama's crossbar.
But Nigeria, with John Obi Mikel and Ogenyi Onanzi and the superb Moses who made the opening two goals, asserting themselves in midfield, suddenly took control of the game with devastating effect.

The breakthrough came when Moses turned and nutmegged Mali defender Adama Tamboura wide on the left and sent in a low cross which Echiejile, unmarked, stooped to head home.
Five minutes later Ideye doubled their lead from another Moses cross, bundling the ball home with Samassa powerless to prevent him scoring.
The third came when Gambian referee Backary Papa Gassama awarded Nigeria a free kick on the edge of the box just before halftime.
Emmanuel Emenike's powerfully struck effort took a big deflection off Sissoko leaving Samassa watching the ball go into his net for a third time to effectively kill the contest and send Nigeria into the continental final for the first time since 2000.
The one worry for Keshi is whether Moses, who came off with an injury early in the second half, will be fit in time.
"We will know more tomorrow," he said. (Editing By Alison Wildey and Sonia Oxley)

[Chazza]

This thread has really kicked on

Well done Mr Pel for keeping it going

[Liverpel]

This thread has really kicked on

Well done Mr Pel for keeping it going

Thanks Chazz. You obviously missed the third paragraph in my latest update.

[Chazza]

Ha yeah i've not read a word of it