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canvey!!

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DodgeeD

DodgeeD

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Good to see our neighbours DR Congo getting an upset win. 12 pointer that game ;)

Perhaps after the performances by Nigeria, Algeria and Cameroon in the World Cup, you should reconsider the 'update a goal' idea canvey!! We may actaully end up getting fewer updates than usual! :p

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chopper99

chopper99

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Good to see our neighbours DR Congo getting an upset win. 12 pointer that game ;)

Your neigbours thank you kindly :D.

All favours will of course be returned, here's hoping DR Congo make it through the group after that excellent start.

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canvey!!

canvey!!

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This is for Kalu Uche's goal for Nigeria against Greece.

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2010 African Cup of Nations

We rejoin the action in Angola at the 2010 African Cup of Nations.

January 21st: Senegal 3-1 Ghana

Edward Still’s Senegal put a lot of pressure on Ghana for the final game with a 3-1 victory. The match was more level than the scoreline suggests, and Ghana opened the scoring in the 8th minute with Asamoah Gyan’s second goal of the tournament. The 24-year-old scored into an open net when Senegal goalkeeper Tony Sylva couldn’t recover from dealing with Samuel Yeboah’s header. But Senegal had the match level before half time, Mamadou Niang taking advantage of Ghana ‘keeper Adam Larsen’s mistake of covering Demba Ba and leaving his goal open. The match was level at half time, but looking like it was going to be a good contest. And a good contest it was, although not necessarily for the Ghana fans, who saw their team go a man down in the 57th minute. Having received a yellow card just before half time for tripping Demba Ba, Isaac Vorsah saw a second one for tripping Ba yet again. The decision was questionable, at least from my point of view, but Ghana had to knuckle down and protect that point. Alas, six minutes later, Pape Diakhate gave Senegal the lead with a nicely-taken free kick. Looking beaten and demoralised, Ghana had insult added to their injury in the 87th minute. After Kwadwo Asamoah tripped Mamadou Niang in the box, a penalty was awarded. Niang himself stepped up to take it, slotting it into the right-hand corner to double Senegal’s lead with minutes to play.

Man of the Match: Mamadou Niang, FW, Senegal (8.3)

  Group A
 # Nation   P W D L F A GD Pts
 1 Senegal  2 2 0 0 6 3 +3  6
 2 DR Congo 1 1 0 0 2 1 +1  3
 3 Angola   1 0 0 1 2 3 -1  0
 4 Ghana    2 0 0 2 2 5 -3  0

January 21st: Guinea 1-3 Mali

Mikael Schøler’s Mali wrapped up their second win of the tournament with a comprehensive victory over Guinea. Despite only having three shots on target, Guinea managed to bag a goal which made the match look a lot closer than it actually was. Frédéric Kanouté opened the scoring for Mali in the 24th minute, heading past a hapless Kémoko Camara, and Mohammed Sissoko made it 2-0 before half time when he successfully tried his luck from an angle. Things were going into the break as they stood, but Ibrahima Yattara swept a beautiful free kick from out wide into the top left-hand corner to make the match quite a bit closer. But Mali prevailed, doubling their lead again thanks to Cheick Diabaté’s header in the 66th minute.

Man of the Match: Ibrahima Yattara, ML, Guinea (8.0)

  Group B
 # Nation  P W D L F A GD Pts
 1 Mali    2 2 0 0 5 1 +4  6
 2 Morocco 1 0 1 0 1 1  0  1
 3 Guinea  2 0 1 1 2 4 -2  1
 4 Egypt   1 0 0 1 0 2 -2  0

January 22nd: DR Congo 0-2 Angola

The Democratic Republic of the Congo were unsuccessful in their attempts to get a second win. They kept themselves in the game, but a clinical edge from Angola gave Juan King’s side the much-needed victory. Striker Mateus put them in front in the 26th minute, shooting around his marker and scoring from long range. While they couldn’t find another goal before half time, just three minutes into the second half, Everton striker Manucho doubled the lead, capitalising when neither goalkeeper Papi or defender Cédric Mongongu could claim the ball. Mongongu went from hero to joint-villain. Unfortunately, Manucho later suffered an injury that would keep him out of action for the next two to three weeks.

Man of the Match: Mateus, ST, Angola (7.5)

  Group A
 # Nation    P W D L F A GD Pts
 1 Senegal   2 2 0 0 6 3 +3  6
 2 Angola    2 1 0 1 4 3 +1  3
 3 DR Congo  2 1 0 1 2 3 -1  3
 4 Ghana     2 0 0 2 2 5 -3  0

January 22nd: Tunisia 3-5 Ivory Coast

The Ivory Coast maintain their high-scoring, high-conceding play in this eight-goal thriller. Salomon Kalou got the goalscoring under way in just the fourth minute, giving the Ivorians the lead with his considered strike from the left. Yaya Touré had that lead doubled with his second goal of the tournament in the 28th minute, taking a brilliant free kick beautifully. However, they were pegged back by an unfortunate own goal in the 35th minute, with Stephan Loboué being unable to catch the cross of Tunisian midfielder Hocine Ragued, instead letting it bounce off his chest and into the net. The score stood at 1-2 at half time, but Mentho Latum’s Tunisia were keen to not let the Ivorians play themselves back into dominance. Coming out all guns blazing in the second half, they got their reward after three minutes, from Ragued again, with the 26-year-old chipping the ball home from just inside the penalty area, after having dallied on the ball and allowed Ivorian defenders to close him down.

Hamed Namouchi then propelled his nation into the lead just five minutes later, with a classy long range shot. It didn’t last, of course. Battling away, the Ivory Coast got back into it with another goal from Yaya Touré. Despite being marked by two Tunisia defenders, he headed the ball past Aymen Mathlouthi in the Tunisia net, levelling the score at three each. Still determined to hold on to a draw, the Tunisians fought desperately, but the Ivory Coast fought even more desperately, when Lens forward, Hocine Ragued’s colleague at Lens, in fact, Aruna Dindane, curled a free kick round the wall and into the net. Then, to bring things round full circle, scoring the last goal just as he had the first, Salomon Kalou made it 5-3 from the spot, after Tunisia captain Karim Haggui tripped Didier Drogba in the box in the 90th minute.

Man of the Match: Salomon Kalou, ML, Ivory Coast (8.7)

[font=Courier New]Group C
[/font] [font=Courier New]# Nation      P W D L F A GD Pts
[/font] [font=Courier New]1 Ivory Coast 2 2 0 0 9 5 +4  6
[/font] [font=Courier New]2 Cape Verde  1 1 0 0 1 0 +1  3
[/font] [font=Courier New]3 Zambia      1 0 0 1 2 4 -2  0
[/font] [font=Courier New]4 Tunisia     2 0 0 2 3 6 -3  0[/font]

Next time, Cameroon clash with Nigeria, as well as three other passionate fixtures!

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canvey!!

canvey!!

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This is for Asamoah Gyan's goal for Ghana against Australia. Samuel Eto'o's update will come tomorrow probably.

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2010 African Cup of Nations

Back to Angola, where there are some old scores to be settled! Scores such as 2-0, 1-1 and 5-3!

January 22nd: Burkina Faso 2-0 Sudan

Magnus Vestergaard’s Burkina Faso had Sudan under control in this match, but even so, took a long time to find the net. The match remained goalless up until the 76th minute, when Leiria attacking midfielder Ousseni Zongo put Burkina Faso in front with his volley. In the 15 minutes or so that followed, Sudan had chances to get back into the match, but didn’t take them, and Yssouf Koné put the tie to bed when he completed his simple finish in the 88th minute. Zongo got the assist, and a nice assist it was too.

Man of the Match: Ousseni Zongo, MC, Burkina Faso (8.2)

 [font=Courier New]Group D
 [/font][font=Courier New]# Nation       P W D L F A GD Pts
 [/font][font=Courier New]1 Cameroon     1 1 0 0 2 0 +2  3
 [/font][font=Courier New]2 Burkina Faso 2 1 0 1 2 1 +1  3
 [/font][font=Courier New]3 Nigeria      1 1 0 0 1 0 +1  3
 [/font][font=Courier New]4 Sudan        2 0 0 2 0 4 -4  0[/font]

January 23rd: Egypt 0-0 Morocco

Morocco grabbed their second draw of the tournament while Egypt grabbed their first point. It wasn’t the most boring 0-0 draw imaginable, and Morocco will once again lament, given that they seemed to have quite some power over their fellow North Africans. Egypt got their second red card of the tournament and Morocco got their first, with Morocco going one man down before Egypt levelled in that respect. Karim El-Mourabet, having earlier received a yellow card in the game’s opening minute for tripping Mohamed Zidan, was given a second caution in the 70th minute for obstructing Egyptian striker Emad Motaeb. Wael Gomaa followed El-Mourabet to an early bath in the 88th minute (okay, so his bath wasn’t that early) after he pulled the shirt of Marouane Chamakh. His earlier caution came for doing the very same thing in the 23rd minute.

Man of the Match: Mohamed Abdel Monsef, GK, Egypt (7.5)

 [font=Courier New]Group B
 [/font][font=Courier New]# Nation    P W D L F A GD Pts
 [/font][font=Courier New]1 Mali      2 2 0 0 5 1 +4  6  Q
 [/font][font=Courier New]2 Morocco   2 0 2 0 1 1  0  2
 [/font][font=Courier New]3 Guinea    2 0 1 1 2 4 -2  1
 [/font][font=Courier New]4 Egypt     2 0 1 1 0 2 -2  1[/font]

January 23rd: Zambia 0-2 Cape Verde

Karl Unpingco’s Cape Verde had this result wrapped up in the first 11 minutes here at Estádio da Cidadela. 25-year-old Marco Soares found the net in the 6th minute with his dazzling shot from 20 yards out. Unable to clear a corner, Zambia were punished for their lacklustre defence. Josimar Lima made it two in the 11th minute, heading home where a corner was once again the source of Zambia’s troubles.

Man of the Match: Josimar Lima, DC, Cape Verde (8.0)

  Group C
 # Nation      P W D L F A GD Pts
 1 Ivory Coast 2 2 0 0 9 5 +4  6  Q
 2 Cape Verde  2 2 0 0 3 0 +3  6  Q
 3 Tunisia     2 0 0 2 3 6 -3  0  -
 4 Zambia      2 0 0 2 2 6 -4  0  -

January 23rd: Cameroon 1-1 Nigeria

Two pretty even sides drew in this match-up. Cameroon opened the scoring in the 32nd minute via Achille Emana’s long range strike, but were pegged back just four minutes later by John Utaka’s second goal of the tournament. He made a stunning run from just outside his own half up the right wing, dancing past the defenders and in front of Cameroon goalkeeper Carlos Kameni, punishing the 25-year-old with a quick and cruel backheel into the net. He then showboated with an elaborate goal celebration, but let’s be honest; he deserved that. Either side could have made a breakthrough in the second half but attacking options were poor and defences remained sturdy.

Man of the Match: John Utaka, FW, Nigeria (7.9)

 Group D
 # Nation       P W D L F A GD Pts
 1 Cameroon     2 1 1 0 3 1 +2  4
 2 Nigeria      2 1 1 0 2 1 +1  4
 3 Burkina Faso 2 1 0 1 2 1 +1  3
 4 Sudan        2 0 0 2 0 4 -4  0  -

Next time, Group A concludes, with hosts Angola facing downtrodden Ghana in the hope of qualifying for the next round. And Cape Verde, with their spotless goals conceded record, take on the Ivory Coast, who have conceded the most goals of any of the teams with points. Will the islanders hold strong? Who will take top spot? Why couldn’t I think of a third rhetorical question to make the magic three? Only the next update will tell you!

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canvey!!

canvey!!

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I wanted to give you this yesterday. Oh well. This is for Samuel Eto'o's goal for Cameroon against Denmark.

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2010 African Cup of Nations

With the first two of the four groups about to conclude, let’s return to the action in Angola.

January 25th: Angola 0-1 Ghana

Well, Ghana finally salvaged their dignity and picked up three points, but was it too little too late for them? They could have scored a couple more, but they obviously didn’t, and so Michael Essien’s strike in the 17th minute will have to content fans of the Gold Coast. Receiving the ball from Asamoah Gyan, and perhaps a fraction offside, Essien took no moment’s hesitation before casting the ball into the Angola net.

Man of the Match: Asamoah Gyan, ST, Ghana (7.5)

January 25th: Senegal 6-1 DR Congo

Poor Craig Hopper’s DR Congo were annihilated in this match. Comfortable in possession and clinical up front, Edward Still’s Senegal savaged their opponents with a five-goal winning margin. Ever-present Mamadou Niang opened the scoring for them in the 7th minute when he shot through two defenders and past DR Congo goalkeeper Alain Kizamba. He then grabbed his fourth goal of the tournament in the 37th minute, with a mighty but not indomitable effort, and his fifth goal of the tournament in the 38th minute, overcoming a challenge from Hérita Ilunga before scoring to put Senegal on easy street.

DR Congo got a sudden lifeline as the second half kicked off, with Lomana LuaLua heading home Christian Kinkela’s cross. But there was to be no comeback, and any hopes of one were pretty much killed off on the hour mark with Niang’s fourth goal of the match. Rounding lethargic defender Cédric Mongongu, he fired through the legs of Kizamba for a 4-1 lead. Papa Bouba Diop made it 5-1 12 minutes from time with a sweet free kick, and Dame N’Doye completed the rout with a menacing finish as the match ticked into injury time. That was the FC København forward’s second goal for his country, and in only his second cap.

Man of the Match: Mamadou Niang, FC, Senegal (9.6)

[font=Courier New]  Group A
 # Nation   P W D L GF A GD Pts
 1 Senegal  3 3 0 0 12 4 +8  9  Q
 2 Angola   3 1 0 2  4 4  0  3  Q
 3 Ghana    3 1 0 2  3 5 -2  3  -
 4 DR Congo 3 1 0 2  3 9 -6  3  -[/font]

January 26th: Cape Verde 2-4 Ivory Coast

Well, Cape Verde finally relinquished and conceded some goals, but the Ivory Coast continued their fine tradition of winning in high-scoring matches. Salomon Kalou had Albert Holstein’s side 3-0 up at half time, scoring a beautiful long range shot in the 4th minute, a nice under-pressure one in the 39th minute, while being encroached by three opposition defenders, and a penalty in the 45th minute. However, Cape Verde played themselves into the game much better in the second half, eventually getting their reward with a goal in the 59th minute. Bobbie Friberg da Cruz escaped his man and tapped home Alair Cruz Vicente’s free kick. Then five minutes later, Cecilio Lopes casually blasted the ball home when Ivory Coast ‘keeper Stephan Loboué made the mistake of coming forward. But fears were put to rest when, three minutes later, Didier Drogba got his first goal of the tournament, turning and shooting high to evade ‘keeper Ernesto.

Man of the Match: Salomon Kalou, ML, Ivory Coast (9.4)

January 26th: Tunisia 3-1 Zambia

With qualification out of the question, all these two nations had to play for was pride. Tunisia’s attempt at getting that pride went swimmingly, and three of their players combined to put Mentho Latum’s team 3-0 up before half time. Chaouki Ben Saada scored the opening goal in the 13th minute, running through and heading home Fahid Ben Khalfallah’s corner. Anis Boujelbene made it 2-0 in the 20th minute, with his long range shot deflecting off unlucky Zambia defender Moses Sichone. Isaam Jemaa got the third, with Sichone again the unlucky one, as he should have covered the assist, which came from Ben Saada. Zambia did play better in the second half, but not nearly well enough to win the match or even to draw, although they got themselves a goal through Nchimunya Mweetwa’s 77th minute run-in.

Man of the Match: Chaouki Ben Saada, ML, Tunisia (8.2)

[font=Courier New]  Group C
 # Nation      P W D L GF A GD Pts
 1 Ivory Coast 3 3 0 0 13 7 +6  9  Q
 2 Cape Verde  3 2 0 1  5 4 +1  6  Q
 3 Tunisia     3 1 0 2  6 7 -1  3  -
 4 Zambia      3 0 0 3  3 9 -6  0  -[/font]

Next time, Morocco, Guinea, Egypt, Cameroon, Nigeria and Burkina Faso will all be trying to join Senegal, Angola, the Ivory Coast, Cape Verde and Mali in the next round!

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canvey!!

canvey!!

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This is for Didier Drogba's goal for the Ivory Coast against Brazil.

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2010 African Cup of Nations

With just four group stage games to be played, let us return to Angola for the 2010 African Cup of Nations.

January 27th: Guinea 0-1 Egypt

Egypt got a valuable win here but will it be enough to qualify them for the next stage? They’re looking to defend their title, and their hopes of doing so were given a massive boost by Ayman Abdelaziz in the 83rd minute. Just when it looked like the match would end up a draw, resulting in a likely Egypt tournament exit, Abdelaziz popped up with his deflected long range shot to salvage the result. Ahmed Abou took Egypt’s corner, but it was headed away by Guinea defender Mamadou Diallo. Yet Abdulaziz was on hand to volley the ball back into the danger zone, and a cruel deflection, cruel for Guinea at least, sent it in. In a game as level as this one, only a goal like that could have broken the deadlock.

Man of the Match: Aymen Abdelaziz, MC, Egypt (7.5)

January 27th: Morocco 2-1 Mali

Just as fortune had allowed their opponents to draw against them in previous matches, fortune allowed Didier Dardon’s Morocco to come away with this all important win. A tense atmosphere was not helped by the fact that it took almost seventy minutes for the deadlock to be broken. Marouane Chamakh bagged his first goal of the tournament in minute sixty-nine, heading in from Mickaël Chrétien’s cross. Mali defender Drissa Diakité thought he had Chamakh covered, but he evidently did not.

Although the Mali fans would not have begrudged Morocco this victory, given that their national team had already qualified for the knockout round, and in first place too, their players did not give up trying. Mamady Sidibé levelled the score in the 85th minute, in a brutal blow to the Morocco fans who had just heard that Egypt had taken the lead. Although Mickaël Chrétien dispossessed Frédéric Kanouté in the penalty area, he went from hero to villain as his inability to clear or pass the ball led to Kanouté having a curling shot. It bounced off the post, but Mamady Sidibé was there to tuck it home. But you could say that this fortuitous victory, confirmed by Amadou Sidibé’s own goal in the 90+1st minute, was just reward after the unfortunate draws Morocco had suffered. Although he could not be blamed too much for the actual process of the ball going into the net; the ball bounced off him at close range from Jamel Aït Ben Idir’s header, he could be blamed for the chance, as his wanton pass-back gave Nabil Baha the opportunity to set up the move.

Man of the Match: Nabil Baha, FW, Morocco (7.5)

  Group B
 # Nation  P W D L F A GD Pts
 1 Mali    3 2 0 1 6 3 +3  6  Q
 2 Morocco 3 1 2 0 3 2 +1  5  Q
 3 Egypt   3 1 1 1 1 2 -1  4  -
 4 Guinea  3 0 1 2 2 5 -3  1  -

January 28th: Cameroon 1-0 Burkina Faso

Magnus Vestergaard’s Burkina Faso were knocked out of the tournament in the cruellest of ways. Hoping to get a draw, and therefore be in contention to qualify from the group, Samuel Eto’o’s 89th minute goal put paid to that idea. Despite a barrage of Burkinabe defenders blocking his first shot, Eto’o simply tried again, shooting around the three defenders blocking his view of the goal, and giving him the finish he so much desired. Poor Burkina Faso, and ebullient Cameroon.

Man of the Match: Francis Ambane, ML, Cameroon (7.5)

January 28th: Sudan 1-3 Nigeria

Sudan were already eliminated, so here was simply a chance for them to salvage some dignity, but for Nigeria, they would need to win this game to qualify, if Burkina Faso beat Cameroon. Knowing this, Des Tiny’s team focused on restricting Sudan’s play and knocking balls forward. Soon enough they scored, with Ikechukwu Uche heading home in the 12th minute. Their 1-0 lead was doubled 10 minutes later, and this time Ifeanny Emeghara was the goalscorer. Caught with the ball and no easy way around the Sudan defender marking him, he simply chipped it with the side of his right foot and it flew inexplicably into the top corner.

Sudan didn’t want to go down without a fight, however. Faisal Agab took a plucky long shot from the left wing, and scored almost as inexplicably as Emeghara had done. Such a flash of inspiration might have been enough to pull Sudan back into the match, but it wasn’t; Nigeria still had them well-controlled, and although they couldn’t add to their tally until the 71st minute, when John Utaka scored a tap-in, they played well and as comfortably as champions.

Man of the Match: Ifeanny Emeghara, ML, Nigeria (8.1)

  Group D
 # Nation       P W D L F A GD Pts
 1 Nigeria      3 2 1 0 5 2 +3  7  Q
 2 Cameroon     3 2 1 0 4 1 +3  7  Q
 3 Burkina Faso 3 1 0 2 2 2  0  3  -
 4 Sudan        3 0 0 3 1 7 -6  0  -

So the group stages are complete! Only eight of the original sixteen nations remain in contention for the African Cup of Nations! Here is the draw for the Quarter Finals:

Senegal vs. Morocco

Mali vs. Angola

Ivory Coast vs. Cameroon

Nigeria vs. Cape Verde

And here are some very handy Group Stage statistics:

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canvey!!

canvey!!

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This is for Bongani Khumalo's goal for South Africa against France. I think I might split the Semi Finals and Final/3rd Place Playoff into two separate updates.

piala-afrika-2010-logo.jpg

2010 African Cup of Nations

Quarter Finals

Only eight nations now remain in pursuit of the African Cup of Nations. Holders Egypt have fallen, as have Ghana and six other teams. Four more are about to tumble, but which four?

January 31st: Mali 3-0 Angola

Mikael Schøler’s Mali took an easy victory over the host nation in the first of the Quarter Finals. They were very quickly in the lead, with Frédéric Kanouté heading home in the fourth minute. Despite Hipólito Mario’s backpedalling, he was too slow to stop the ball as it put Angola behind. The hosts then went 0-2 down in the 25th minute, with Mamadou Diallo this time the goalscorer. The 27-year-old, who plies his trade at River Plate, ran from receiving the ball forty yards out, skipping past a challenge from Kali, and slotted the ball into the left hand corner. Angola, looking pretty lacklustre in defence and looking absolutely embarrassing in attack, then had the final nail hammered into their coffin by Mohamed Sissoko in the 62nd minute. When Hipólito Mario was unable to hold Kanouté’s shot, which was itself set up by Sissoko, the former Liverpool took it upon himself to score, which he did, ending Angola’s dreams of a home victory.

Man of the Match: Mamadou Diallo, ML, Mali (8.1)

January 31st: Senegal 4-1 Morocco

Senegal continued their romping form with a solid victory over Morocco. The hammering seems unfair given Morocco’s own decent share of possession and chances, but Senegal have been in a clinical vein of form which was continued in this match. It was actually Morocco who opened the scoring through their dependable forward Marouane Chamakh. His 33rd minute long range header, however, was cancelled out by Mamadou Niang’s seventh goal of the tournament six minutes later. Receiving the ball from Demba Ba, the Marseille forward ran past his man before slotting it through the legs of Morocco ‘keeper Nadir Lamyaghri. The scores were level at half time, but Edward Still’s Senegal just about had the better of the game, and got their reward for that in the 56th minute. Demba Ba, who scored a brace in the opening game but was happy to act as playmaker and assister to Niang since then, got himself on the scoresheet with a wicked curling shot.

But then disaster struck for Morocco, who had up until then still harboured hopes of getting back into the match. Their top goalscorer Marouane Chamakh fractured his wrist, having to be stretchered off. There were butterflies in the collective stomachs of the Morocco fans, and Senegal took the immediate opportunity to capitalise. Papa Waigo got himself on the scoresheet with a placed shot, just two minutes after Chamakh’s departure from the field. Then, to punish Morocco completely, Demba Ba got his fourth goal of the tournament with a nice shot between two defenders. With just 15 minutes to play, there was no more hope for Morocco. However, a little bit of Senegal’s hope was also extinguished in the 85th minute, when Medhi Benatia’s challenge gave Mamadou a bruised rib. He’ll be out for a few days, making him a doubt for the Semi Final.

Man of the Match: Demba Ba, FW, Senegal (8.8)

February 1st: Nigeria 2-0 Cape Verde

Poor Cape Verde were knocked out by a brace in four minutes towards the end of the first half. However, those two goals were just a manifestation of Nigeria’s dominance throughout the match. Ikechukwu Uche scored the first goal in minute 44, slipping the ball past the Cape Verde defender marking him, captain Nando. Eke Uzoma doubled the score in the third minute of first half stoppage time with a speculative long range shot.

Man of the Match: Ikechukwu Uche, ST, Nigeria (7.8)

February 1st: Ivory Coast 2-3 Cameroon

The Ivory Coast’s policy of sacrificing defence in favour of attack cost them here, when they couldn’t counter Cameroon’s three goals. After having dashed Burkina Faso’s hopes so late on in the last match, Samuel Eto’o got a head start on dashing the Ivory Coast’s early on in this one. His long range free kick was beautifully taken from the right wing, and gave Liam Ferguson’s team the advantage. However, it was levelled before half time, and only just before, by the Ivory Coast’s top goalscorer, Salomon Kalou. He headed home from Constant Djakpa’s corner to level the tie for his team.

Yet, after the restart, Pierre Achille Webó wasted no time in giving his side the lead again. The 28-year-old put Cameroon ahead with his volley in just the 46th minute. Yet the Ivory Coast once again levelled, and this time Didier Drogba was the scorer. 62 minutes into the match, the Chelsea striker chipped the ball home after an amazing run during which he beat two defenders. Given that the two sides enjoyed a pretty equal share of possession and chances, a draw seemed a fair result, but to avoid the match heading to injury time, Pierre Achille Webó got his second goal of the match in the 90th minute to send Cameroon into the Semi Final. Although he was tackled by Kader Keita, he managed to reclaim the ball, and take a cheeky shot that made him a national icon.

Man of the Match: Pierre Achille Webó, FW, Cameroon (8.4)

Only the Final Four remain! Who will make the Final, and who will be seeking scant consolation in the Third Place Playoff? The Semi Finals are as follows:

Senegal vs. Nigeria

Mali vs. Cameroon

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canvey!!

canvey!!

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This is for Katlego Mphela's goal for South Africa against France.

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2010 African Cup of Nations

Semi Finals

And so, the pool gets ever-smaller. Fewer and fewer nations remain in contention for the African Cup of Nations. Just four left now, and after these next two matches, only two will remain.

February 4th: Senegal vs. Nigeria

Two nations, only one Final place. Fortunately for Des Tiny’s Nigeria, their hopes of attaining that Final place received a boost very early on in this match. Despite being marked in the penalty area, Ikechukwu Uche managed to head home the ball from Victor Obinna’s cross. Pape Diakhate kept with Uche, but couldn’t outjump him to get the header, and Senegal found themselves one nil down. They played firmly and resolutely, and kept the score as that through to half time, and beyond, but couldn’t find a clinical edge and couldn’t tuck away the chances. Nigeria punished Senegal’s lack of an equaliser in the 75th minute, with Ikechukwu Uche once again the scorer. The circumstances were much the same: Obinna got the assist, and once again Diakhate was the Senegal man with the power. He might have closed Uche down quicker to avoid the Nigerian firing his piledriver into the top right corner.

In the situation that they were in, Senegal pushed forward in hope of a goal. They even brought on injured and rather unfit top goalscorer Mamadou Niang in the aspiration of a flash of inspiration. Their efforts were not in vain, although the goal did come too late for their liking, in the 85th minute. Rémi Gomis managed to score from a speculative effort thirty-five yards out. It seemed to epitomise their long-range attempts in the second half, but this one actually went in. They rushed forward, searching desperately for an equaliser, but none came, the score remained one-two, and they would have to content themselves with the Third Place Playoff.

Man of the Match: Ikechukwu Uche, ST, Nigeria (8.4)

February 4th: Mali vs. Cameroon

The match started nicely for the neutral; lots of end-to-end stuff while Mikael Schøler’s Mali gradually wrestled themselves into dominance. There were some good if not spectacular chances for both sides, but no finishes, not that that was to be criticised. Eventually, however, the breakthrough came, and it came at the tender time of just before half time. Mahamadou Diarra, 28 years old and playing in his 32nd game for Mali, tucked the ball home past Cameroon ‘keeper Carlos Kameni. The goal all stemmed from Amadou Sidibé’s free kick in the 43rd minute. It fell to Cameroon defender Nicolas N’Koulou, but he couldn’t keep it; the ball bounced off the back of his boot and to the feet of Mali’s Adama Coulibaly. He took the quick shot, without so much as a second glance, but Kameni blocked the ball low down. However, he couldn’t account for the rebound, which fell to Diarra for the goal.

The second half started much like the first had; with attacking prowess from both sides, the match was in the balance. One goal for either side would change the face of things completely. And so, as nobody likes change, it seems that neither team wanted to score. Well, that is a lie; they both wanted to score, but both were unable. Chances came, more and more intermittently as the match progressed and the tension grew, and although it was an ordeal, Mali held onto their one nil lead to put themselves into the Final.

Man of the Match: Mahamadou Diarra, MC, Mali

Next time, the Final and Third Place Playoff!

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