Zambia vs Ethiopia post-match report

Zambia were stunned by 10-man Ethiopia who rallied to hold the defending champions to a 1-1 draw at Mbombela Stadium in Nelspruit on January 21.

5 Kennedy Mweene: His 23rd minute save of Saladin Said's penalty was his best moment in the game. He was caught flat-footed for Adane Girma's equaliser.

5 Davies Nkausu: Worked hard for his money on Monday to help complement a poor Stopilla Sunzu but struggled for pace and winning balls.

5 Hichani Himonde: Was short on pace and felt the pressure and almost added to Zambia’s misery had Said scored in the 73rd minute.

His 29th minute free-kick deflected off the Ethiopia wall and was his only positive contribution in the game.

4 Stopilla Sunzu: He had his poorest game to date. Sluggish and unsure of what to do.

4 Joseph Musonda: Out of position and was at fault for Adane Girma's goal. Replaced by Jacob Mulenga in the 61st minute.

5 Nathan Sinkala: Failed to give his backline enough cover. He had a great chance to put Zambia ahead in the 26th minute but it was frustrating to witness his casual effort.

However, had his 86th minute pass reached Mbesuma, it would have redeemed him had the latter not been a faction late for the ball.

6 Isaac Chansa: For a while he won the combative battle with Saladin Said. His assist for Mbesuma's goal went some way in enhancing his modest display.

Came close to scoring in the 55th minute but effort went wide. Made way for Mukuka Mulenga in the 75th minute.

7 Rainford Kalaba: Kalaba had a frustrating day. Created openings for Katongo and Mbesuma and toiled all night.

6 Lungu Chisamba: Had another consistent game despite his major part in Ethiopia's penalty and was instrumental in goalkeeper Bushura Tasew sending off.

4 Christopher Katongo: He had a glorious chance wasted from a Kalaba assist in the 5th minute.

Ignored Mbesuma for most of the game who had an easy time finding space and instead went in search of personal glory.

7 Collins Mbesuma: Suffered from poor service and when he did get quality balls he showed why is he the renaissance man.

His debut goal will forever be remember as the goal that kept Zambia’s hopes alive in 2013.

5 Jacob Mulenga: Replaced Musonda in the 61st minute. His shooting and aerial threat was poor and failed to use his pace and power to make any impact.

7 Mukuka Mulenga: Came on for Isaac Chansa in the 75th minute. He was a handful for Ethiopia’s defenders. But it was a case of too little too late for a team that still had 11 men on the pitch.

4 Emmanuel Mayuka: Replaced Christopher Katongo in the 83rd minute. Apart from the off side call in the 88th minute after he was put through by Mukuka Mulenga, Mayuka had little impact in the seven minutes he was on the pitch.

Afcon 2013 finals Latest Fixtures & Results

Home	Results	Away	Date	Venue	Matches
Nigeria	1 - 1	Burkina Faso	21 Jan 13	Mbombela S...	Report
Zambia	1 - 1	Ethiopia	21 Jan 13	Mbombela S...	Report
Mali	1 - 0	Niger	20 Jan 13	Nelson Man...	Report
Ghana	2 - 2	DR Congo	20 Jan 13	Nelson Man...	Report
Angola	0 - 0	Morocco	19 Jan 13	Soccer Cit...	Report
South Africa	0 - 0	Cape Verde	19 Jan 13	Soccer Cit...	Report

Home	Fixtures	Away	Date	Venue	Matches
Cote d'Ivoir...	-	Togo	22 Jan 13	Royal Bafo...	Preview
Tunisia	-	Algeria	22 Jan 13	Royal Bafo...	Preview
South Africa	-	Angola	23 Jan 13	Moses Mabh...	-
Morocco	-	Cape Verde	23 Jan 13	Moses Mabh...	-
Ghana	-	Mali	24 Jan 13	Nelson Man...	-
Niger	-	DR Congo	24 Jan 13	Nelson Man...	-
Zambia	-	Nigeria	25 Jan 13	Mbombela S...	-
Burkina Faso	-	Ethiopia	25 Jan 13	Mbombela S...	-
Cote d'Ivoir...	-	Tunisia	26 Jan 13	Royal Bafo...	-
Algeria	-	Togo	26 Jan 13	Royal Bafo...	-

Afcon 2013 finals: Algeria vs Tunisia match preview

Algeria and Tunisia go head-to-head in a fascinating north African battle in Group D at the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations on Tuesday

Algeria and Tunisia go head-to-head in a fascinating north African battle in Group D at the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations on Tuesday evening.

The match at the Royal Bafokeng Stadium in Rustenburg has the potential to be one of the clashes of the opening round of competition and also could have a major say in who qualifies from what is likely to be a hotly contested pool.

With Cote d’Ivoire and Togo the other teams in this foursome, it has been labeled the Group of Death, and both Algeria and Tunisia have spoken of the importance of getting off to a good start. 
“The match against Tunisia will determine our future in this competition,” says coach Vahid Halilhodzic, who ironically was in charge of Cote d'Ivoire when they were ousted by Algeria in the quarterfinals in 2010.

“Anything is possible at the Cup of Nations. Honestly, who bet even one dime that Zambia would win the last competition [in 2012]? I can assure Algerians that we will not be in South Africa as tourists.

“My squad is inexperienced but full of desire to do well. Although I am optimistic, it will not be a major surprise if we are eliminated after the opening round. If we get to the quarter-finals you never know what can happen, but we have to get there first and it starts with a positive result from our outing against Tunisia.”

It is a view backed up by Algeria forward Mohamed Amine Aoudia: “This game is very important to us. It could be the key to our qualification for the quarter-finals.”

The Fennec Foxes have had a decent build-up top the tournament, though they did look below par in their warm-up match with South Africa that finished 0-0. They faded badly in the game and could well be affected by the altitude here again.

Tunisia have come in for some criticism of their form in the lead-up to the tournament, having been thumped 4-2 by Ghana, and also completed disappointing draws against Ethiopia and Gabon.

All of those occurred at the teams camp in UAE and they were one of the last teams to arrive in South Africa for the tournament.

The Tunisians can count on recent experience for some hope though, they were not expected to feature prominently at the 2012 finals in Equatorial Guinea and Gabon, but reached the quarterfinals before losing narrowly to Ghana in extra-time.

Algeria edge the head-to-head between these two sides slightly with 15 wins to 11, but surprisingly perhaps, this is the first time they are meeting in the continental finals.

Afcon 2013 finals - Côte d’Ivoire vs Togo match preview

Ivoirian midfielder Didier Ya Konan

 

Côte d’Ivoire start off their Africa Cup of Nations 2013 against the Sparrowhawks of Togo in Group D, on Tuesday at the Royal Bafokeng Stadium in Rustenburg (kick-off at 17h00 CAT).

The Elephants are on the warpath in search of their second continental crown following that of 1992, and will try to forget their repeated failures of 2006 and 2012 which saw them defeated in both finals, following penalty shootouts against Egypt and Zambia.

Led by coach Sabri Lamouchi, who replaced François Zahoui last May, Didier Drogba and his teammates are counting on their wealth of experience to reach their goal.

“Our experience and our solidarity will make the difference.  Starting with Togo.  If we show solidarity, there will be no reason not to win the match against the Sparrowhawks,” assured international striker Arouna Koné.

And for their big debut in the South African tournament, the Elephants are rearing to go with a full house and no injury concerns.

But Togo refuse to wear the loser’s badge as a foregone conclusion for their debut at the Royal Bafokeng Stadium.

Because despite a warm-up period perturbed by internal conflict, the coach of the Sparrowhawks Didier Six can count on Emmanuel Adebayor and many of his other stars to lead the way.

Labelled the underdogs of Group D, the Togolese national team have every intention of being a killjoy at this Afcon CAN 2013.

“We did not come here for a holiday,” warned FC Lorient’s international midfielder Alaixys Romao on Sunday following their training session.

This match will be followed by a 100% Maghrebi affair between Algeria and Tunisia, the two other teams in Group D.

Emmanuel Adebayor to play a key role for Togo at 2013 Afcon

Tottenham striker Emmanuel Adebayor return to international football will bolster the Togolese national team as they face a mammoth task in Group D against Algeria, Tunisia and tournament favorites Ivory Coast. The 28 year-old announced two months that he was retiring from international football citing security and financial issues surrounding his participation in the national team.

The lanky striker reportedly changed his mind after the Togolese president Faure Gnassingbe intervened. The news of his return sparked renewed hopes for his countrymen and fellow team-mates that the side must spring a few nasty surprises at the Afcon 2013 opponents. Adebayor helped his country qualify by scoring crucial goals against Gabon.

Didier Drogba vows Ivory Coast will win the 2013 African Cup of Nations

Didier Drogba who is most likely going participate in his last Afcon tournament in South Africa has vowed to take the cup back home this time around. The Ivorian whose team ended as runners-up in Egypt 2006 and in 2012 is fired up and wants nothing less than the ultimate prize to cap his international playing career.

The 34 year-old said his team is capable of big things at Afcon, he pointed out that the great team spirit his side showed when they dislodged Senegal in the qualifiers will carry them through. He emphasised by saying, "We fought together, everybody gave of himself and this helped us to win, and now everybody expects to win."

Afcon 2013 finals: Democratic Republic of Congo national team squad

 The Democratic Republic of Congo will begin their Afcon 2013 campaign in South Africa with strong group of players who helped the side qualify. DR Congo will lock horns in Group B against the likes of Ghana, Niger and Mali. The team will kick-start their matches against a fearsome Ghanaian side that has the capacity to win the Cup if they turn up the heat just high enough. The match will take place in the coastal city of Port Elizabeth, DRC last qualified for the ACN some six years ago.

 The Democratic Republic of Congo team list for the Africa Cup of Nations 2013 is as follows:

List

Name	Club
Goalkeepers:
Landu Bakala	FC MK
Robert Kidiaba	TP Mazembe
Parfait Mandanda	Charleroi
Defenders:
Jean Kasusula	TP Mazembe
Larrys Mabiala	Kardemir
Chancel Mbemba	Anderlecht
Issama Mpeko	V Club
Cedric Mongongu	Evian
Landry Mulemo	Courtrai
Gabriel Zakuani	Peterborough
Midfielders:
Alain Kaluyituka	Al Ahli
Deo Kanda	TP Mazembe
Youssouf Mulumbu	West Bromwich
Cedric Makiadi	Freiburg
Kisombe Makuntima	Motema Pembe
Matumona Zola	RAEC Mons
Tresor Mputu	TP Mazembe
Forwards:
Manzia Budje	Shark XI
Yves Diba	Najran SC
Patou Kabangu	TP Mazembe
Tresor Lomana Lualua	Kardemir
Dieumerci Mbokani	Anderlecht
Luvumbu Nzinga	Rojolu

Afcon 2013 finals: Ivory Coast (The Elephants) national team profile

AFCON HISTORY

Best Performance	Winners - 1992
Champions	1992
Runners-Up	2006, 2012
Third Place	1965, 1968, 1986, 1994
Fourth Place	1970, 2008

HOW THEY QUALIFIED

The 2012 finalists qualified at the expense of th Lions of Teranga whom they beat 4-2 at home in a thrilling first-leg encounter. The return leg was fiercely contested as first and had to be abandoned in the second half when Senegalese were riled by the two goal lead inflicted by none other than Didier Drogba. The Confederation of African Football later confirmed the 6-2 aggregate victory for Drogba and gang. Effectively ending in-form Senegal's chances of qualification.

THE COACH | SABRI LAMOUCHI

THE CAPTAIN | DIDIER DROGBA

Didier Drogba has been leading his team-mates from the front as a capable super-star that he is. The former Chelsea striker remains the team’s all-time top scorer and has promised fireworks at the Afcon 2013 showpiece considering that he and some of his team-mates maybe participating in their very last Africa Cup Nations tournament.
Drogba was instrumental in Ivory Coast's qualification for the World Cup in 2006, he went on to lead the team to their second participation in South Africa 2010.

THE STAR PLAYER | YAYA TOURE

Yaya Toure is yet another gem in the star-studded Ivorian side, he is the kind of player opponent coaches always warn their squads about. The player is renown for his high work rate and tackling. The 2012 African footballer of the year is expected to ignite bigger things for his side as they aim for the trophy which they lost to Zambia through penalties in the 2012 Afcon edition.

THE EMERGING TALENT | MAX GRADEL

PROBABLE LINEUP

(4-3-3)
CopaBoka, Kolo, Zokora, EboueYaya, Bamba, Siaka
Gervinho, Drogba, Gradel

Afcon 2013 finals: Nigeria (The Super Eagles) national team profile

AFCON HISTORY

Best Performance	Winners - 1980 & 1994
Champions	1980 & 1994
Runners-Up	1984, 1988, 1990 & 2000
Third Place	1976, 1978, 1992, 2002, 2004, 2006 & 2010
Fourth Place	None

HOW THEY QUALIFIED

Nigeria who failed to make the cut in 2012 edition of Afcon held in Gabon and Equatorial Guinea qualified this around by beating Liberia 8-3 on aggregate in October. The Super Eagles will be hoping for bigger things in South Africa. Coach Stephen Keshi aims to follow in the foot-steps of the Dream Team of 1994 which won the prestigious tournament.

THE COACH | STEPHEN KESHI

Stephen Keshi is rebuilding the side after they failed to qualify for CAN 2012, the team is showing signs of improvement since he took over the reins as coach of the Super Eagles in November. Keshi has previously coached Togo and Mali and will be hoping to make a lasting impression in South Africa.

THE CAPTAIN | JOSEPH YOBO

THE STAR PLAYER | JOHN OBI MIKEL

THE EMERGING TALENT | VICTOR MOSES

PROBABLE LINEUP

The Super Eagles probable lineup for the Afcon 2013 matches in Group C matches where they take on defending champions Zambia, Ethiopia, Burkina Faso is as follows:

(4-3-3)
EnyeamaOboabona, Yobo, Ambrose, Echiejile
Igiebor, Mikel, Nwankwo
Musa, Emenike, Moses

Afcon 2013 finals: Algeria (Fennc Foxes) national team 23-man squad

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Algeria coach Vahid Halilhodzic announced his 23 man squad to compete at the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon), the veteran coach brought in a mixture of youthful and experienced players.
Halilhodzic said his main objective is to attain a semifinal spot. The Algerians are in Group D which comprises Ivory Coast, Togo and Tunisia.
The Fennec Foxes will kick-start their Afcon 2013 campaign in South Africa against fellow North Africans Tunisia on January 22 at the Royal Bafokeng Stadium in Rustenburg.

List

Name	Club
Goalkeepers:
Azzeddine Doukha	Harrach
Rais Mbolhi	Kryla Sovetov
Cedric Si Mohammed	JSM Bejaia
Defenders:
Essaid Belkalem	JS Kabylie
Liassine Cadamuro	Real Sociedad
Faouzi Ghoulam	St Etienne
Rafik Halliche	Academica
Carl Medjani	Ajaccio
Djamel Mesbah	AC Milan
Mehdi Mostefa	Ajaccio
Ali Rial	Kabylie
Midfielders:
Djamel Abdoun	Olympiakos
Hameur Bouazza	Real Santander
Ryad Boudebouz	Sochaux
Sofiane Feghouli	Valencia
Adlene Guedioura	Nottingham
Foued Kadir	Valenciennes
Medhi Lacen	Getafe
Khaled Lemmouchia	Club Africain
Saad Tedjar	USM Alger
Forwards:
Yacine Bezzaz	Constantine
Hilal Soudani	Vitoria Guimaraes
Islam Slimani	Chabab Belouizdad
Mohamed Aoudia	Entente Setif

 

Afcon 2013 opening games tickets fly off the shelf

 

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The 29^th edition of the Africa Cup of Nations South Africa 2013 is around the corner and fans are buying tickets in huge numbers leading to a total sell-out of Category 1 and Category 2 tickets for the Opening Games on 19 January 2013 which kick off at the National Stadium in Johannesburg. The Group A matches will see hosts, South Africa take on debutants, Cape Verde Islands, followed by Angola and Morocco.

However, Group B matches in Port-Elisabeth as well as those of Group D in Rustenburg are reportedly not yet selling well. But tournament organisers are confident the tide will shift in the next few days as excitement rises.

The Afcon 2013 Local Organizing Committee is aiming to reach the ticket sales target of 500 000 by the start of the tournament in Johannesburg.  The South African national team's recent poor perfomances against Zambia, Norway and Algeria, however, is making the organisers job more difficult as the local fans are finding it hard to rally behind their team.

Tickets are available at the following outlets:

Selected Spar and SuperSpar Stores, through Tele Sales (087 980 3000), Online (www.eqtickets.com ), Ticket Offices (at all AFCON 2013 Match Stadiums) and via email on afcon2013bookings@eqtickets.com.

Tickets are also available at eQtickets Concept Stores in the host cities including Jabulani Mall in Soweto, Mbombela at Kwanyamazane Plaza and Nelson Mandela Square in Sandton.

For further information, contact: 

Sipho Sithole

Chief Communications Officer

Local Organising Committee

Orange Africa Cup of Nations 2013

sipho@iafrica.com or sipho.sithole@2013oc.com

Mobile: +2783 299 5550

Afcon 2013 finals: Ghana aim for glory

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Ghana will try again at the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations to bridge the ever-widening gap since they last lifted the most prized piece of football silverware on the continent.   Favoured to top the Democratic Republic of Congo, Mali and Niger and win Group B, the West Africans could face much greater challenges in the knock-out phase, including title favourites Ivory Coast and title holders Zambia.

It is 31 years since the 'Black Stars' last collected gold medals, winning the first final settled by a penalty shoot-out, against hosts Libya in Tripoli after a 1-1 stalemate.    Then teenager Abedi 'Pele' Ayew was part of the winning team and went on to become one of the first African footballers to make a splash on the European scene, including a Champions League winners' medal with Marseille. A couple of his sons also play for Marseille and had hoped to be part of the 2013 Cup of Nations, but a hamstring injury ruled out midfielder Andre and striker Jordan failed to win a place in the squad.

The loss of 2011 BBC African Footballer of the Year Andre is a major blow, coming less than a week after leading Ghana Premier League goal scorer Yahaya Mohamed was forced out by a groin injury. Andre Ayew provided midfield creativity and the absence of Mohamed means extra pressure on captain and striker Asamoah Gyan to snatch match-winning goals.   Gyan went into temporary international retirement last year after furious supporters blamed him for a shock semi-final exit from the 2012 Cup of Nations because he had an early penalty saved by Zambia goalkeeper Kennedy Mweene.

"It is so frustrating for us," admitted Gyan to reporters in Accra. "Every day we get reminded that we have not won a major trophy despite putting Ghana on the map with what we have done at the last two World Cup tournaments."

 The Black Stars reached the second round of the 2006 World Cup in Germany and the quarter-finals in South Africa three years ago before losing on penalties to Uruguay.    But the shoot-out could have been avoided had Gyan not slammed a penalty kick against the crossbar seconds from the end of extra time at Soccer City stadium in Soweto.    Some pundits have questioned coach Kwesi Appiah  a member of the 1982 Cup-winning team  adding the burden of captaincy on Gyan as he seeks to re-establish himself as a deadly penalty-area predator.

Appiah is unmoved by the criticism as he seeks first place after the country finished third on home soil in 2008, second in Angola two years later and a disappointing fourth in 2012 in Gabon/Equatorial Guinea.    "I must pick players who are prepared to die for the nation and win. We do not just have to go to the competition  we have to go to South Africa and try to win it," stressed the first local to coach Ghana for many years.