Classic Final

The 2008 AFCON reaches its climax on Sunday evening as two of Africa’s all-time heavyweights battle it out at the Ohene Djan Stadium in Accra. Cameroon’s Indomitable Lions get the perfect opportunity to revenge against their Egyptian counterparts who so embarrassingly disjointed them in the two teams’ opening Group C match.

Egypt come into the game from a phenomenal victory against clear tournament favorites Ivory Coast on Wednesday night. A 4-1 thumping of the 2006 runner’s up means that the Pharaohs stand a chance to increase their AFCON tally to a record six wins. After slaughtering a bull before their quarter-final match against Angola, it seems the gods have been smiling on them as everything they work on upfront seems to turn into goals. An emphatic win over Ivory Coast will definitely act as a morale booster in what should be a tightly contested match.

The Cameroonians will go into the game as underdogs, something of an advantage nowadays. A late red card for Reading defender Andre Baikey means that the four-time African champions will be without a key player in the final. Apart from that shake-up in defense, Cameroon should look to build from their previous performance as they seem to be getting better with every game. They saw off the hosts Ghana with a much disciplined performance after coach Otto Pfister had promised to “paralyze the Black Stars tactically”.

And that’s exactly what they will need to do if they are to salvage anything out of the game on Sunday. Egypt themselves are no slouches when it comes to tactical panel-beating. Their organization and professionalism were the key to unlocking the usually niggardly Ivorian defense. With playmaker Mohammad Abou Trika expected to start in the middle, the Lions will have to be on the guard. Arsenal centre-half Alexandre Song will have to be in top-form in order to come up with the answers to the Egyptian’s teasing questions.

Upfront, Barcelona’s lethal weapon Samuel Eto’o will have to step-up his game after having a less-than impressive tournament so far, by his standards. He will be relied upon to come up with something special, a moment or two of individual brilliance perhaps, if Cameroon is to penetrate the solid wall that is the Egyptian defense led by Al-Ahly rear guard Shady Muhammad.

Egypt will be looking at exploiting Cameroon’s notoriously slow and rigid defense, especially on the flanks. Wednesday’s two-goal hero Amr Zaki and Emad Motaeb will be relying on the services of Abou Trika in the middle and Hosny Abd-Rabou on the left hand side. Hamburger SV defender Timothee Atouba will be the main target, and if they fail to fire in the first half, then exciting striker Mohammad Zidan will be itching to come on from the bench.

Prediction
Egypt 3-1 Cameroon

Manchestrer United relinquished top-spot in the Barclay’s English Premier League following a nerve-wrecking encounter with Tottenham Hotspurs at White Hart Lane on Saturday. A last-second Tevez equalizer salvaged a point for the defending champions, much to the wreckage of Tottenham hearts.

The game seemed to pick up where the two teams left just a week earlier in the FA Cup where United managed to overcome the North Londoners. Spurs, with their new-found pace-based style of play, took the game to United early on, with Aaron Lennon wreaking havoc on the right and in-form Steed Malbranque doing the damage on the left. It was the England under-21 international who whipped in a terrific square-ball on the 20th minute mark after midfielder Jermaine Jenas had claimed to have been fouled in the penalty area. The cross came off goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar onto the feet of the lethal Dimitir Berbatov who had no choice but to slot into an empty net. Van der Sar was then booked for his remonstrance; the first of what would be a record seven yellow cards in one game for United this season.

Some impressive defending from the giant Tom Huddlestone put United further under pressure, with nothing going past the Spurs’ back-four. But it was on the break where the hosts took maximum advantage. The understanding between Berbatov and Keane proved to be deadly as one would continually manage to find very good opportunities for the other.

And it was the Irish captain who should have put the game beyond doubt early in the first half when he shot feebly from 18 yards with only the goalkeeper in front of him. That miss was going to be decisive. Tottenham were under pressure to take their chances from a crowd that replicated the atmosphere during the League Cup semi-final when the Spurs saw-off their city rivals Arsenal.

United found their form in the last ten minutes with the exciting Christiano Ronaldo proving to be a menace every time he had his feet on the ball. Nani for Giggs and Anderson for Scholes were substitutions designed to inflict a little bit of youth and creativity to try and get something out of the fixture. A wise decision from the master tactician Ferguson.

A last minute corner from the United’s right fell gratefully to an unmarked Carlos Tevez who made no mistake in squeezing the ball into the bottom-left hand corner from a tight angle to bring his Premier League tally to 11 goals.

The draw means that Manchester United fall one step to second spot after Arsenal comprehensively beat their Ciry rivals Manchester City at the City of Manchester Stadium. Tottenham will stay at the bottom half of the table with just 29 points from their 25 games, seven behind tenth placed West Ham United.

Arsenal booked a famous fifth round trip to Old Trafford on Saturday evening when they saw off a dejected Newcastle United at the Emirates. The Gunner’s 3-0 win over the side from Teesside means that they will face their fierce rivals Manchester United sometime in February.

Arsene Wenger took no chances when he made seven changes from the side that was trounced at White Hart Lane just four days before. Germany’s World Cup goalkeeper Jens Lehmann made a return to first-team football with an impressive performance. But it was the Arsenal defense that was going through stints of dryness, when, late in the first half, Gael Clichy cleared off the line from a goal-bound Allan Smith header. Kolo Toure was definitely being missed in the heart of the defense. England striker Michael Owen was dangerous, coming close to putting the Magpies in the lead but failed to connect with Steven Carr’s teaser. Arsenal’s best chance came right at the stroke of half-time when French midfielder Abou Diaby’s exquisite strike was parried away by Shay Given.

The old shooting machine came to life in the second half with a beautiful goal by in-form Emmanuel Adebayor six minutes after half-time. The Togolese was quickest to react to Eduardo’s shot coming off the post when he collected the rebound, swiveled past defender Cacapa and coolly slotted home past a defenseless Given.

The injection of momentum saw magician Cesc Fabregas raising his game in midfield alongside the lanky Diaby to provide for the likes of Eduardo upfront and stir the crowd into excitement. It was all red after that and Adebayor sealed the victory in the 83rd minute with a serpentine run through the Newcastle defenders, leaving behind three or four casualties before, again, with extreme ease, picking his spot in the bottom left hand corner of the net.

Arsenals were through, and Keegan’s reign couldn’t take a worse turn. With only a minute left on the clock, Nicky Butt, former Manchester United midfielder, put the game beyond doubt when he unwittingly headed into his own goal from a well-taken Fabregas free-kick.

The win puts Arsenal in pole-position as the two sides meet again on Tuesday night, this time in the English Premier League.

Arsenal got a beating of their lives at an electric White Hart Lane on Tuesday night. Spurs, coming into the second leg of the competition from a fantastic performance in the opening tie at the Emirates tore their North London rivals to shreds in perhaps one of the most famous nights in the history of the club.

An early strike by England midfielder Jermaine Jenas put the home side in the lead adding an extra volt to the already energized atmosphere. The gunners found it difficult to play their usual quick-passing game as they were completely closed down by a resilient Tottneham defense led by captain Ledley King. One of comparatively few corners for Spurs put them further in the lead thanks to a misguided header by Arsenal’s young Danish striker Nicklas Bendtener in the 27th minute.

Arsene Wenger’s League Cup policy of featuring mostly fringe players was somewhat disturbed as he was forced to bring on his celebrated young Spanish playmaker Cesc Fabregas early in the first half after Brazilin midfielder Denilson pulled a hamstring. Fabregas brought some stability to the Arsenal midfield but was frustrated by lack of mobility from his strikers, Bendtener and Walcott. On the other end, Dimitr Berbatov and Roby Keane were dangerous, especially on the break. And it was the former Republic of Ireland forward that nailed another coffin to the young Gunners early in the second half.

A series of fruitless second-half corners left Arsenal’s backline vulnerable and Tottenham made full use of the absence of Ivory Coast tower Kolo Toure and his natural replacement in the name of Phillipe Senderos. The sheer speed and trickery of young England international Aaron Lennon proved too much to bear for the likes of Arman Traroe at the back for Arsenal, when Lennon scored with a striker’s instinct in the 60th minute much to the disgust of some traveling fans who at this point decided that they had had enough.

Arsenal brought on BBC’s African Player of the Year Emmanuel Adebayor and their new-found revelation Eduardo to try and shake things up upfront. It was their top-scorer this season, though, who managed to spare their blushes after a cracking effort from just outside the box in the 65th.

Surely it wasn’t going to be a spectacular comeback to prevent Juande Ramos a coveted cup-final in his first season. And it wasn’t. Relentless Arsenal pressure in the dying minutes of the match further exposed their impotent defense as yet another counter-attack led by the second-half substitutes Prince Boateng and Jermaine Defoe found Jermaine Jenas who did exceptionally well to release an unmarked Steed Malbranque to add one more to the already emphatic score line.

The demolition of Wenger’s men ends Tottenham’s unimpressive run against their neighbors, with their second victory in close to nine years. They book a place in the finals against another London rival, Chelsea, in what should be a breathtaking encounter.

Liverpool’s woes continue as they leave it late to earn a point at home against in-form Villa who are level on points with the Reds although the latter have a game in hand.

The team from Merseyside took an early lead when Yossi Banayoun struck in the 19th minute. The 42000-odd fans at Anfield watched an exciting Liverpool, with Rafa Benitez fielding arguably his best side. Some solid midfield play by Gerrard and Mascherano allowed Liverpool to trouble the Villa defense, with Benayoun coming close to netting his second in the 31st minute, and Torres’ effort going just wide a few moments later.

The long ball was one of very few options for Villa, causing some menace on the Liverpool half especially when former Valencia striker John Carew got at the end of them.

Liverpool’s wastefulness was highlighted when Aston Villa scored the equalizer deep in the second half. Harewood’s 69th minute spectacular overhead kick gave the visitor the confidence they needed to go ahead when, moments later, Olef Mellberg’s effort was deflected past Reina.

But a famous victory it wasn’t going to be for Villa, as, with only two minutes from time, lanky striker Peter Croutch outstretched his leg to connect with the ball from ten yards.

The result further dents Liverpool’s prospects of even a Champions League spot as they fall a Herculean 14 points behind the leaders and defending champions. Aston Villa will be smiling as they climb to 40 points on a coveted 6th position, just two points behind Eveton on 4th, and 3 above Portsmouth who are 8th.

Africa's Finest

What better day to make my blog debut than on the eve of what should be the most exciting African Nations Cup final ever.

Welcome, everyone, to this, my new-found world. After so many years of informal chit-chatting and fact-extracting (in the middle of the streets even), finally, we (you, my audience, are as much of this as anyone else) get a more civilized playing field, where debates can be carried out in a more orderly manner. Don’t hesitate to send me all your feedback, either directly on the blog, or on my e-mail (chienda.jeremiaha@hotmail.com).

Without further ado, let’s introduce the maiden topic: who will conquer in Ghana?

A lot of people will be quick to say: Ghana! Woo, wo, wait up, Ghana is a strong side, particularly in defense, and they are hosting this year’s tournament, but they don’t exactly have a world-renowned attacking force, and they will be missing their midfield kingpin Steven Appiah. Not only does the former Hearts of Oak star provide some presence in the middle of the park, forming a formidable partnership with the fan’s favorite, Michael Essien; Appiah inspires confidence in the Black Stars, being one of the longest serving members of the team and a general role-model to most of the young guns coming through the ranks. A big blow certainly.

My personal pick in terms of entertainment value is none other that Nigeria’s Super Eagles. The two-time African Champions have got an embarrassment of riches upfront: a mixture of strength, skill, and speed. Watching Berti Vogts’ men should be a something of a spectacle. My only reservation with the Nija’s is their brittle defense. Apart from goalkeeper Austin Ejide and Everton sweeper Joseph Yobo, I don’t see any other characters that can soak up the pressure, at a later stage off course, by, let’s say, the Ivorians. Nigeria’s full squad at the finals consists of only four midfielders against an incredible eight strikers, further highlighting their attack-centric-ness.

In recent years, there has always been a buzz about one team coming into the tournament: the Indomitable Lions. This year, they hasn’t. But that should not rule out the amount of experience and physique that the Cameroonians possess. Plus, I believe that any team that has Samuel Eto’o playing for them should never be ruled out, of anything!

My one concern in the past few days has been: why is no one talking about the North Africans? It seems the most common answer is: because they don’t travel very well. Excuse me, I find that a little too naïve in this day and age, to make such an inconclusive statement. Morocco has got one of the most impressive young squads at the tournament, nurtured by one of the best, in the name of former Ivory Coast mentor, Henri Michel, and their recent performances allow them to be feared. Tunisia boast the tournament’s qualifying round’s top scorer Issam Gonaa and Egypt are not defending champions and five-time winners for nothing.

I feel Mali can be enjoying to watch, with an array of well-statured, skillful players like Sevilla sorcerer Freddie Kanoute and Liverpool midfield-man Momo Sissokko. But a gold medal for them is a little too far-fetched, provided the permeability of their backline. Angola will be a revelation; Bafana Bafana will have something to prove two years before 2010. Sudan will add some authenticity to the tournament, while Benin, Guinea and Namibia will be happy just to be on the pitch.

But anyone with some sense in their head will have to fancy the Ivorians to come out victorious. They were unlucky last time, and I don’t think life’s as cruel as to deprive them another opportunity to put their names in the record books for the second time. Their squad is simply complete, they have the best players in all positions, and they seem to be all fit and ready to go as well. Ivory Coast should be somewhere around there come February the 10th.

What do you think?

Teaser: Did you notice one title-contender that I missed out?