It was billed as the game of the groups, the tournament’s two favorites coming in and, with Ivory Coast’s disappointing show against Burkina Faso in the books, it was as close as ever. Then the whistle went for 90 minutes and Ghana were left wondering what the hell just happened. Ivory Coast won 3-1, but the scoreline hardly tells the story. The art of the counter followed by a genius free kick – never even trying to fool the keeper, looking upper 90 the entire time – and then Kader Keita’s street skills inside the box finished off by you know who – with the latter two down to ten men. It was a thorough display of just how to put the ball in the back of the net from all angles.
Ghana now needs to beat Burkina Faso to advance, while the Ivory Coast are already into the knockouts. And so the favorites just became…even bigger favorites.
The 16 team tournament that happens every two years on the continent of Africa goes by many names. I’ve seen it variously referred to as (deep breath) the African Cup of Nations, the Africa Cup of Nations (no “n”), the sponsorrific Orange Africa Cup of Nations, the old school African Nations Cup, the abbreviated AFCON, CAN, ACN and probably a few others too. That’s before we get into any French language names.
Chris raised this question in his 10 Things You Need to Know post recently, and basically concluded that it doesn’t matter what you call it. I’d agree to some extent, but have also become ever so slightly obsessed with this question. I want answers. I want to know what it’s called.
Personally I flit back and forth between the Africa Cup of Nations and the African Cup of Nations, but not so long ago I was calling it the African Nations Cup. I’m not asking what the correct name is, because I’d agree with Chris that that doesn’t matter. The Confederation of African Football would inevitably tell us that the sponsored version is correct anyway. What I really want to know is what do you call it?
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This is one of my favourite World Cup moments, mostly because it features two iconic footballers. First there’s the legendary Roger Milla. The 38 year old striker who came out of retirement to play for Cameroon at the 1990 World Cup, after receiving a persuasive phone call from Cameroon’s President Paul Biya. Milla scored four goals at Italia ‘90 as Cameroon made it all the way to the quarter-finals, the first African team to do so, and celebrated each goal with his now legendary (and oft copied) cornerflag dance.
The second man involved in this moment is Colombia’s Rene Higuita. The frizzy-haired goalkeeper of scorpion kick fame. He was also famous for his footwork, regularly enjoying a bit of dribble with the ball. In the Cameroon vs Colombia Round of 16 match, with Cameroon already leading 1-0 in extra time, Highuita attempted to pull drag back outside his box. Milla dispossessed him and dribbled through to score, thereby booking Cameroon’s place in the quarters. And of course Milla celebrated with the corner flag. Video below.
The first goal is Milla opening the scoring, the second is the famous moment when he dispossesses Higuita. Quick thinking from Milla, over-confidence from Higuita. While I’d agree with the commentator that the return pass to Higuita was sloppy, the keeper can’t blame anyone but himself for the attempted dragback.
Cameroon lost the cracking 1990 World Cup quarter-final 3-2 to England, but the Indomitable Lions returned to the World Cup in 1994, where a 42 year old Roger Milla became the oldest goalscorer in World Cup history.
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74′ Angola 4 – Mali 0 FT Angola 4 – Mali 4 Malawi 3 – Algeria 0 Ivory Coast 0 – Burkina Faso 0 Cameroon 0 – Gabon 1
(And if we were to get really technical, Egypt scoring their first two goals entirely against the run of play had to be considered an upset within the frame of the game as well.)
A couple of days ago we were forced to hand Angola 2010 a new motto:
Expect the unexpected.
Despite handing out the warning ourselves, it’s still impossible to look at the daily scoreboard without a jaw slightly slacked. Burkina Faso holding the mighty Ivory Coast? A four goal supercomeback in twenty minutes? Algeria giving three to the forgotten Malawi? And the latest today, Gabon downing quasi-powerhouse Cameroon one to nil. Perhaps less impressive the win and more impressive keeping Samuel Eto’o off the charts.
Of course that was always in the cards, as time and time again people have been warned yet still do not listen: you do no tempt the football gods. They are cruel, vengeful and supremely moody bunch.
Samuel’s pre-tournament quote which had the gods flinging chairs about the room and vowing a frosty plate of revenge:
“I would like to take Cameroon as far as possible, to even win the tournament. But my first objective will be to score the highest number of goals at a single Nations Cup,”he told Reuters.
There are two problems with this:
i. Way to put the team first. Sure, the more goals he scores the better chance Cameroon has, but still…you kind of understand why Pep couldn’t wait to run Sammy out of Barcelona.
ii. You don’t say stuff like this pre-tournament. The gods do not look kindly upon such bold proclamations of record-shattering. Records were meant to be broken, but quietly. Couple that with putting the “I” before “team” and Cameroon is due an inferno of footballing hell the likes they’ve never seen.
Let this be a lesson to Mr. Eto’o on not tempting the gods.
But it’s not entirely his fault: a hearty round of applause to Gabon for keeping with the theme of the tournament. A tournament which has, four days in, exceeded our wildest expectations. And while the events that preceded it were tragic, we can only hope South Africa 2010 the tournament is exactly like Angola 2010…with just a few more cabooses in the stands.
Everyone knows about Ivory Coast’s Didier Drogba and Cameroon’s Samuel Eto’o. The superstars of African football. Most will know about Mali’s Fredi Kanoute and Seydou Keita too. You don’t need WorldCupBlog to tell you about them. So we thought we’d compile a list of 10 players to watch at the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations, featuring talented youngsters and other players with slightly lower profiles than those listed above.
The list obviously isn’t definitive. We’re not saying only watch these 11. That would be madness. It would make viewing most games very very difficult. We’re just saying keep an eye out for these guys. If there’s anyone else you think is worth watching, please let us know in the comments.
Note:We’re a little late in publishing this list as the tragedy involving the Togo team dominated the news in the days before kickoff.
Dominic Adiyiah (Ghana)
Ghana needs a striker. They have that ridiculously talented midfield (Michael Essien, Sulley Muntari, Stephen Appiah etcetera) and a fairly solid defence. But my main memory from the 2008 tournament was that the Black Stars needed someone slightly better than Matthew Amoah and Asamoah Gyan to turn possession into goals. That man could be Dominic Adiyiah. The 20 year old striker lit up the 2009 U-20 World Cup, finishing as top scorer and player of the tournament as Ghana lifted the trophy. He’s just now signed for Milan. Not sure if he’ll start, but Adiyiah will likely play some part in Ghana’s title challenge. Watch the above vid of the young man in action, if only for that magnificent dancing goal celebration. - More on the Black Stars at Ghana World Cup Blog
Chinedu Obasi (Nigeria)
When discussing this list with Chris, I commented that Nigeria didn’t have anyone that got me excited. The squad looked like the usual names: Yakubu, Martins, Mikel etcetera. But then Chris wised me up to 23 year old Hoffenheim forward Chinedu Obasi. Or “Edu” as he’s sometime known. Obasi was originally left out of the Nigeria squad by coach Shaibu Amodu, but was then called up at the last minute. Obasi has already rewarded that faith by scoring Nigeria’s first goal of the tournament in the 3-1 loss to Egypt (above). Before you ask, the answer is yes, Obasi was on this list before he scored that goal. Promise. - More on the Super Eagles at Nigeria World Cup Blog
Idriss Carlos Kameni (Cameroon)
The standard of goalkeeping at the African Nations Cup is often – fairly or unfairly – derided. It’s probably true that certain goalkeepers aren’t quite up to the same standard as their illustrious outfield teammates. This isn’t true on the Cameroon team, where Espanyol’s Kameni was quite literally in the same league as Samuel Eto’o until Eto’o traded La Liga for Serie A this summer. Kameni had a sterling 2008 tournament, especially in the final, with Run of Play’s Brian describing him as “Like Iker Casillas crossed with Optimus Prime” in our comments. Look out for a similar performance this time round. More on the Indomitable Lions at Cameroon World Cup Blog
Mohamed Aboutrika* (Egypt)
*Unfortunately, Aboutrika will not be at Angola 2010. Egypt blogger Tamim pointed out in the comments that Aboutrika is injured and so didn’t make the squad.
Or “the Egyptian Zinedine Zidane” as he’s sometimes called. And not because of any follicular problems. The 31 year old Al-Ahly man is a proper playmaker, with fine technique and a full compliment of both passing and shooting skills. Also, the man isn’t afraid of a little controversy, as his 2008 “Sympathize with Gaza” t-shirt proved. It’s a shame Aboutrika won’t be featuring at World Cup 2010 or Angola 2010, so please enjoy the highlight video above instead.
Mohamed Zidan (Egypt)
Since Aboutrika won’t be featuring, striker Mohamed Zidan is another Egyptian worth watching, and not just because he’s only one “e” away from sharing a name with Zizou. This Zidan plays for Borussia Dortmund in the Bundesliga. See above for skills and goals. - More on the Pharaohs at Egypt World Cup Blog
According to my copy of World Soccer magazine, “there are often complaints over his alleged lack of dedication to the national cause. That he is originally Ivorian probably plays some part in this.” With this skills like this though, Benin should be glad he wears their shirt. - More on The Squirrels at Benin World Cup Blog
Domingues aka Elias Pelembe (Mozambique)
I must confess, I haven’t seen Domingues in action, and had never heard of him before doing a bit of research for the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations. I mostly just like the sound of him. A tiny right winger who can apparenlty dribble at pace. This I want to see.
When this little winger plays in the South Africa’s Premier Soccer League for Mamelodi Sundowns, he plays under his real name of Elias Pelembe. But when he plays for Mozambique he’s Domingues. So basically he’s a superhero.
The only video I could find is the above Nike commercial. Which is at least 50% animation. And to be honest I’m not 100% sure it’s him and not some other Elias. Still. Enjoy!
Flavio (Angola)
Now this player I know. It was Flavio’s lanky strike partner Manucho who got the big move to Man Utd following Angola’s run to the Africa Cup of Nations quarter-finals in 2008. But Flavio arguably deserves more credit. The 30 year old, who recently moved from Egypt’s Al-Ahly to Saudi Arabia’s Al-Shabab is tiny. Just 5′8″ according to his Wiki page. Yet somehow he scores a frightening amount of goals with his head. Keep an eye on him. - More on the Black Antelopes at Angola World Cup Blog
Dede is an attacking midfielder with a fine left foot. He saw some playing time at the 2008 tournament as an 18 year old. Now he’s back as a 20 year old, having just captained the U-20 team to World Cup victory in 2009. That Ghanaian midfield is still a tough nut to crack though.
The reason I like this guy isn’t just because his dad was famous. It’s also because he’s such an exciting talent in his own right. Unfortunately the video of his left footed strike vs England in the U-20 World Cup has been eaten by the internet police, best we can do is the slightly blurry footage above. Hopefully we’ll see more of Dede in Angola.
Kwadwo Asamoah (Ghana (again))
If Dede doesn’t get a start in Ghana’s midfield, then Udinese’s 21 year old Kwadwo Asamoah might. The central mid played a big part in Udinese’s 2-1 win over Roma this season, causing Roma fan Chris to label him, and I quote, “A f*cking beast. He’s the next Essien.” Hard to think of higher praise really, and frightening to think of the potential in the current Ghana squad.
A strong enough midfielder with a lethal left foot, Asamoah went to the 2008 tournament as a 19 year old but didn’t get on the pitch. He’ll surely have a part to play this time.
Karim Ziani (Algeria)
Algeria have made a horrible start to Angola 2010, losing 3-0 to Malawi in their opener. If the Desert Foxes are going to turn their tournament around, then main man Ziani will likely be at the centre of it. He’s an attacking playmaker type, but he’s also unafraid to put the effort (and tough tackles) in. The Algerian Steven Gerrard maybe? Ziani currently plays for Bundesliga champs Wolfsburg after joining from Marseille this summer. - More on the Desert Foxes at Algeria World Cup Blog
Amine Chermiti (Tunisia)
Word has it that Tunisia will be lining up in a midfield-flooding 4-5-1 formation. Not 100% sure who the lone striker will be, but I’m hoping it’s Hertha Berlin’s Armine Chermiti (currently on loan at Al-Ittihad in Saudi Arabia). The 22 year old was key to Etoile du Sahel’s Champions League win in 2007 before moving to Europe and already has an impressive 10 goals in 29 games for the Eagles of Carthage (that’ll teach me to trust Wikipedia goal stats). - More on the Eagles of Carthage at Tunisia World Cup Blog
Does anyone out there have any more information on the above players? Please share in the comments. Also, if you know of any other players worth keeping an eye on at Angola 2010, please let us know.
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My name is Mamudu Nurudeen popularly known as Alhaji Righteous De Ambitious born on 25 Feb. 1985, to Mr Mamudu and Hajia Safura at Bawku Central in the Upper East Region of Ghana.
I am currently a student of Sunyani Polytechnic offering HND General Agriculture.
I am also a freelance Journalist, a motivational speaker and the founder of PERSONALITY AND HUMAN RELATIONS (PHR)
PLEASE THIS WEBSITE IS STILL UNDER CONSTRUCTION
The 16 team tournament that happens every two years on the continent of Africa goes by many names. I’ve seen it variously referred to as (deep breath) the African Cup of Nations, the Africa Cup of Nations (no “n”), the sponsorrific Orange Africa Cup of Nations, the old school African Nations Cup, the abbreviated AFCON, CAN, ACN and probably a few others too. That’s before we get into any French language names.
This is one of my favourite World Cup moments, mostly because it features two iconic footballers. First there’s the legendary Roger Milla. The 38 year old striker who came out of retirement to play for Cameroon at the 1990 World Cup, after receiving a persuasive phone call from Cameroon’s President Paul Biya. Milla scored four goals at Italia ‘90 as Cameroon made it all the way to the quarter-finals, the first African team to do so, and celebrated each goal with his now legendary (and oft copied) cornerflag dance.
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