AFCON: More surprises coming our way?

| Friday January 15, 2010 00:00

Despite the tragedy that befell the Togolese team ahead of the tournament, which saw three people killed, AFCON has provided the continent with some talking points. The match between hosts Angola and Mali set the tone in an eight-goal thriller. Angola have only themselves to blame for squandering a 4-0 lead and end up sharing the spoils. The Black Antelopes' coach, Manuel Jose has promised that the hosts will recover from the disappointing result against the Eagles and qualify for the knockout stage.

Flavio, who scored a brace in the 4-4 draw against Mali, remains the key player for the hosts and needs help from the likes of Manucho to deliver. The only setback for Angola might be the goalkeeping department, which was awful in their opening game. With goalkeeper Lama having proven his class in the past, it remains a mystery why he should not command a regular place.  At the time of going to press, Angola were in action against Malawi, in what is termed a 'Southern African derby'. The Malawi Flames set the continent alight when they brushed aside World Cup finalists, Algeria 3-0 in their opening game.

Though many people say they were not impressed by the Flames' performance, the win might have served as a morale booster and they might qualify for the knockout stages. Malawi only need another victory to qualify for the next phase (by the time you read this, they might have done just that!). The likes of Essau Kanyenda, Russel Mwafulira, captain Peter Mponda and Josephy Kamwendo know that this might be their last appearance at the AFCON finals and they seem to be pushing themselves to perform.

Last month, in an interview with Mmegi Sport in Johannesburg, Kamwendo confidently said, 'we know that we've been ruled out even before the tournament kicks off. But people can do that at their own risk because we're going out there to compete and if we can beat Algeria in the opening game, anything is possible.' But just like Angola, Malawi's downfall though they did not concede, was the goalkeeping department where Swadick Sanudi was found wanting throughout the game.

In Group C, Mozambique started slowly against Benin but they managed to recover from a 2-0 deficit to end up in a 2-2 draw. It was a beautiful recovery from the Portuguese-speaking country, which left the southern part of Africa confident. With the likes of Egypt and Nigeria in the same group, no one gave the Mambas a chance of salvaging a point from this tough group. Their next game against Egypt tomorrow might be a difficult clash but failure to get something from it should not dent their morale. Nigeria have proven vulnerable and surely the Mambas can get something from them next week and go through. Manuel 'Tico Tico' Bucuane should lead his troops like he did against Benin and they must not fear the Pharaohs tomorrow.

Lastly in Group D, Zambia started like a house on fire, only to let Tunisia come back into the game on Wednesday. Going into the finals, Zambia have gone through a disappointing qualifying campaign something which left many commentators dismissing them. But their performance in their opening game has made people change their thinking. Zambia's next opponents are Cameroon and having lost to Gabon on Wednesday, Cameroon are likely to come out firing on all cylinders.

There were glimpses of poor defending against Tunisia, and Zambia better be warned to take the game seriously. But at the same time, Chipolopolo might take confidence from the fact that if Gabon managed to beat the Indomitable Lions, then nothing is impossible in this beautiful game.

Next Friday, we look at the teams which have qualified for the quarter-finals. Do not be surprised if two of the COSAFA countries have gone through. Football has proven over the years that even the so-called minnows can rise to the occasion in big tournaments and make their mark.