2012 Africa Cup of Nations blog: Minnows defy form book in exciting opening matches
The 2012 Africa Cup of Nations gets underway this week and www.theelastico.com 's Chris Atkins will be blogging for MirrorFootball throughout the tournament. Click here to read his preview of the competition.
***
The 2012 Africa Cup of Nations is well underway after three days of competitive matches that have done little to betray the tournament's reputation of being one of the most exciting and unpredictable events in world football.
The tournament kicked-off in Bata, a port-city on the Atlantic coast of Equatorial Guinea, with an opening ceremony full of glitz and glamour that provided a stunning backdrop to the competition on Saturday evening.
The ceremony was truly a spectacle to behold, but thankfully so far the tournament itself has provided entertainment to match.
As is custom, it was the hosts who set the ball rolling on Saturday evening, as Equatorial Guinea took on a Libya side who captivated a continent in their post-Gaddafi qualification. Libya started brightly, with the home side showing some nerves, but it did not take long for the Nzalang Nacional to take control of the game in front of their fans.
According to the FIFA rankings, Equatorial Guinea are the 'worst' team involved in the competition, but they belied this status with a strong performance in the absence of key player and captain Rodolfo Bodipo, who managed just a 15-minute cameo. The decisive goal in a 1-0 victory came just minutes from the end, as former-Real Madrid youngster Javier Balboa seized upon an incisive through-ball to calmly slot into the top corner. The home crowd were ecstatic and the late victory provided the kind of exciting start the tournament required to really kick-start the action.
In the other Group A encounter on Saturday, Zambia provided the first major shock of the event, beating a much-fancied Senegal side 2-1. The West Africans were simply abysmal first-half, falling 2-0 behind in the opening twenty minutes to goals from Young Boys striker Emmanuel Mayuka and TP Mazembe's Rainford Kalaba. The Senegalese did improve, pulling one goal back via highly-rated striker Dame N'Doye as Zambia flagged, but they must now pull-off a result against Equatorial Guinea on Wednesday to remain in contention.
The shocks continued on Sunday, as once Didier Drogba's headed goal had helped Ivory Coast to a 1-0 victory over Sudan, Burkina Faso lost out to Angola in Malabo. The Burkinese have shot up the rankings in recent times, but slumped to a 2-1 defeat with only an Alain Traoré free-kick to their name.
Angola gave a far better account of themselves than had been expected, taking the lead through striker Mateus, before former-Manchester United reserve Manucho capitalised on some sloppy defending to hit a powerful left-footed effort into the corner of the goal. Burkina Faso must get points against Ivory Coast to remain in the competition, while an Angola victory over Sudan would see them cruise into the quarter-finals with a game to spare.
On the third day of action it was time for the second of the co-hosts to make their bow, as Gabon took on lowly Niger in a packed Stade de l'Amitié in Libreville.
St-Étienne striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was the star of the show for the Gabonese, producing both a goal and an assist, both with his head, to live up to his reputation in his homeland. The son of a former-Gabon captain and formerly of AC Milan, Aubameyang is seen as the pinnacle of the side and did not disappoint in his starring-role, receiving a huge ovation from the adoring fans as he was substituted for Daniel Cousin late on.
Stéphane N'Guéma notched the second and final goal for the hosts just before half-time as they ran-out convincing winners.
Pre-tournament, Morocco were tipped as possible dark-horses, but would face a tough start to the competition against 2004 champions Tunisia.
Throughout the game, the Lions of the Atlas were on top, with the creative abilities of Mbark Boussoufa and Younes Belhanda to the fore. Yet, for all their quality, the Moroccans proved wasteful in-front of goal, with Marouane Chamakh, Belhanda and Youssef Hadji all guilty of missing golden opportunities.
Tunisia on the other-hand were clinical with their chances and reaped the benefits. The Carthage Eagles took the lead early on through Khaled Korbi, as his crossed free-kick missed everyone on its way to the back post.
Continuing to soak-up Morocco's pressure, Tunisia struck again in the second-half, as 21-year old Youssef Msakni danced past several defenders before slotting home for his side's second. Morocco struck back through Houssine Kharja, but it was too late to grab anything from the game.
The result means that Morocco are now reliant on points from their tie with hosts Gabon to make the Quarter-Finals.
Day four (Tuesday) sees heavyweights Ghana making their 2012 debut against Botswana, whilst Guinea face Mali in a potential decisive encounter.
Although considered minnows, Botswana were impressive in qualifying as all four Group D sides topped their respective sections.
If the Cup of Nations continues in anything like the fashion it has started, there could be more shocks on the way!
***
Follow Chris on Twitter at @chris_elastico
Column
Crass of the Day: Why Gary Lineker should be ashamed of his xenophobic mocking of Arsene Wenger
Columnists 11:07 03/05/12Shame on Gary Lineker. His mockery, stupid French accent and derision of Arsene Wenger at the end of... Read More+
Column
Stop rewriting history: Hodgson may have got it, but Redknapp is still the better man for the job
Darren Lewis 10:45 03/05/12The revisionism surrounding Harry Redknapp this week has been an education to behold. Suddenly his f... Read More+
Column
Big Match Verdict on Chelsea 0-2 Newcastle: Torres has been transformed in a week
John Cross 22:27 02/05/12Fernando Torres has been transformed in little over a week. In fact, the Spaniard was the odd man ou... Read More+
