CAN

CAN final: "One of the greatest matches in the history of football"

Julien — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 14:42:28 +0100

CAN final: "It would be difficult for anyone to beat Egypt now"

Julien — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 11:24:12 +0100

Our Observer in Ghana describes the post-match atmosphere in Accra after the team's defeat, and gives his predictions for the final.

The Lions of Cameroon are simply on fire

Julien — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 10:24:55 +0100

Wow! I just finished watching the Cameroon - Tunisia match and I must say that Cameroon is a very hungry team. They took the 4-2 result from Egypt not as a defeat, but as a chance to rebuild and re-assess their team. The Lions of Cameroon are simply on fire now and are one of the favourites to reach the finals.

Meanwhile the Black Stars of Ghana are fresh from their 2-1 win over the Super Eagles of Nigeria. That match was truly like a final game. Such passion, such flare and such emotion from the West African rivals. Today has confirmed that Cameroon and Ghana will play each other in the semi finals. I'm a Black Stars fan, and I think that in order for Ghana to come out victorious they mustn't leave the Cameroonians any space. As the opportunists that they are, they would exploit it to the fullest! The Ghanaians must be weary of the Cameroonians’ free kicks, because as seen by the game with Tunisia, they’re great at free kicks. Also the Cameroonian team is very physical so the Black Stars have to take note of that.

The Black Stars have a very solid defence. They’ve only let in two goals so far compared with Cameroon’s seven. In conclusion, I have to say that the Ghana - Cameroon match will be very physical and I see the Black Stars winning this game 2-1."

Egypt get through, but can they go any further?

Julien — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 18:38:57 +0100

The streets are empty, there's no movement, human activity has been minimized to emergency cases only. That was the case in the streets of Cairo from quarter to seven until nine last night. A lot of companies in Cairo even allowed their employees to leave one hour early to watch the match. Although it was broadcast on national TV many people preferred to watch it in a cafe where they could see it on the big screen. The cold didn't stop people from going out to watch the match. The fans were a little bit worried about it after the result of the last match with Zambia (1-1) which was described by many fans and as "not bad".

The beginning was really powerful for the Egyptian team and before the first quarter they managed to score a goal from a penalty. But three minutes later Angola got even with a perfect goal. That turned off the heat for the fans a little bit. But then, about ten minutes before the end of the first half the Egyptian team got another goal- and that set the fans on fire again. They had trust once more in their team.

The first part of the second half witnessed a partial control from the Egyptian team over the playground but it was visible in the second part that the Egyptian team was fighting to keep away the attacks of Angolan team. The match ended 2-1 for Egypt but it made many football fans question weather the Egyptian team is powerful enough to win the cup this season."

Ghana- Nigeria: "It was like the final"

Julien — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 15:12:50 +0100

"I thought this match was going to be close but I didn't think it would end quite that dramatically. At one point you thought Ghana would lose and at another you saw an array of hope from the way the Ghana boys played." Our Observer in Accra updates us on the team's 2-1 win over Nigeria, gaining them a place in the semi finals.

Ghana - Morocco in Accra: The party was wild!

Julien — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 13:19:40 +0100

Charles, our Observer in Accra reports on the 2-0 Ghana victory over Morocco.

Benin takes a 4-1 loss, but no one's surprised

Julien — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 16:29:57 +0100

Not many people watched the match. Nobody really thought we could win.

The Benin squirrels were beaten 4 to 1. Even before the match, considering their performance in the opening match, it didn't seem overly likely that they would beat the Ivory Coast, the second-best in Africa. In town not many fans believed it; there weren't many t-shirts or banners to be seen. Only the household-appliances company ATC BEKO had put a banner in its window front. We watched the match on a giant screen in Cotonou. Even after the first goal and then more after the second people starting to walk away, cursing the players. The atmosphere was really depressing so we didn't take any photos and decided to head home. We watched the second half in a cyber café, where any interest in the game had completely disappeared, even when Razak Omotoyossi scored his ‘goal of honour'. There were a few claps here and there... Here, there's not as much passion as in, Togo, Ghana or Nigeria. I don't know what happened to the pride we felt when the Squirrels qualified, but I think a lot of people lost interest because they knew we were playing against the biggest teams...so there was no point in getting over-excited."

The elephant turned carnivore just to gobble up the squirrels

Julien — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 16:09:44 +0100

For us the match was ours before it started. But after half an hour of play, we started to get a bit worried. And then, Drogba scored. There was euphoria in the streets- it was as though the match was already over. Actually we had been really waiting for our team captain to get a goal because he hadn't in the fist match.

After the match in Yopougon, which is Abidjan's most happening area, the roads were blocked from rue des Princes to rue de Princesse, the place where everyone always goes to celebrate. Some fans were getting on the roofs of cars or hanging on to the back of them cheering. Going through to the semi-finals was a proud moment and people in the streets were draped in the national colours. Forget about vegetarianism, the elephant turned carnivore just to gobble up the squirrels.

Morocco: "They couldn’t have played better"

Julien — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 17:50:52 +0100

Commentary from our Observer for Morocco, Mohamed Oulaich, who went to see Morocco play against Guinea on Thursday (24 Jan):

The place went silent went Guinea scored their third goal. They were really staggering in terms of control control. Players Fodé Mansaré and Pascal Feindouno were absolutely determined. But despite that our team lost, they played beautifully. They were never discouraged. They couldn't have played better. Everyone understood why they were using the tactics they did, faced with Guinea. The best Moroccan players of the match; Aboucherouane and Chamakh, should have been awarded for their efforts.

Morocco were under pressure to repeat the same performance they gave faced with Namibia (a 5-1 victory). You have to put your all into every match to qualify. I'm still very hopeful because I think we can surprise Ghana on Monday. A quick elimination for Morocco is unimaginable for me.

All in all, we're part of a great CAN; The best I've ever seen. We're seeing great goals and incredible players of very a high standard. The favourites have really proved themselves. Tunisia, Egypt, Senegal, South Africa, Angola, the Ivory Coast, Mali and even Cameroon, despite their defeat, are all still in the competition. It shows that African football has really evolved.

Go Morocco!"

A not-so-sweet victory in Ghana

Julien — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 15:41:22 +0100

Our Observers in Accra update us on events in Accra before and after the game against Namibia.