Cameroon, having lost their opening Group D game 1-0 against Gabon, revived their chances of reaching the last eight of the Africa Cup of Nations after beating Zambia 3-2 in a thrilling win. Jacob Mulenga tapped in from close range to put Zambia in the lead before goalkeeper Kennedy Mweene gifted Geremi an equaliser in the 68th minute. Captain, Samuel Eto’o fired in a shot to put Cameroon 2-1 up but Christopher Katongo converted a penalty to equalize. However, striker Mohamadou Iddrisou sealed the win with a late header.
Cameroon are the 2008 runners-up and the highest ranked African team in the competition. They have also qualified for the World Cup. Show your support by buying the Team Shirt!
Ivory Coast began their African Cup campaign by drawing 0-0 with Burkina Faso in their Group B opener. With Togo having been disqualified due to them leaving the Country after the shootings, favourites Ivory Coast now need to win their remaing game against Ghana to ensure progress to the quarter finals.
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The opening game between hosts Angola and Mali ended in a 4-4 draw after an unlikely comeback by Mali, who were losing 4-0 with 11 minutes left till full-time! Angola were leading 2-0 at half-time and doubled their advantage with two second-half penalties. However, the team relaxed and with many home fans having already left the stadium celebrating a win, Mali scored what was thought by many to be a late consolation goal, but three more goals, two deep into injury time ensured the most unlikeliest of draws! So, the first ever match at the 11 November Stadium provided a thrilling start to a Nations Cup that had been overshadowed by Friday’s gun attack on the Togolese team, who have now been withdrawn by their government and flown home.
Togo are considering pulling out of the Africa Cup of Nations after shots were fired at their team bus in northern Angola on Friday 8 January, only 2 days before the opening match.
The driver of the team’s bus was killed after gunmen opened fire on the vehicle in Cabinda, which is due to host seven matches, while nine others were injured including two players, an assistant manager, physio, goalkeeping coach and another coach. Defender Serge Akakpo, who plays for Romanian club Vaslui, was hit by two bullets in the attack. He has undergone successful surgery. While reserve goalkeeper Kodjovi Obilale, who plays for French club GSI Pontivy, was also wounded, with several other players requiring hospital treatment. Organisers insist the tournament will go ahead but Togo’s players met later on Friday to discuss returning home.
“If we are still not sure about security then we will be leaving,” captain Emmanuel Adebayor said. “It’s a football game, it’s one of the biggest tournaments in Africa and a lot of people would love to be in our position but I don’t think anybody would be prepared to give their life. So I will talk with the team and we will discuss between us and take a group decision that we think is good for our careers, good for our lives and good for our families because at the end of the day it is only football. I am still in shock. I don’t know whether it has really stopped or not. I don’t know if we are still the target or not. We see the stadium where we are supposed to play but to be honest we don’t know if we are going to be able to play there, we are all still in shock.”
Togo qualified for the Africa Cup of Nations in third place behind Cameroon and Gabon. They have never advanced past the first stage of the competition, but will hope to better that this year under the leadership of their captain and main star, the Manchester City striker Emmanuel Adebayor. The Hawks begin their campaign on 11 January with a Group B match v. Ghana.
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Today we feature Egypt, the holders of the African Cup, having beaten Cameroon 1-0 in the 2008 Final. Egypt qualified for this tournament, runners up in their group behind Algeria with 13 points from six games. They start the defence of the trophy with the opening game of Group C v Nigeria on 12 January 2010 in Benguela.
Africa Cup of Nations 2010
This year the competition is being hosted by Angola. The tournament begins on 10 January 2010, with the opening Group A game between Angola & Mali at 20:00, and culminating in the final at Luanda on 31 January 2010. Celebrate the Orange Africa Cup of Nations in style, by purchasing one of the 16 participating teams shirts! Today, we focus on Angola who qualified as the host Nation. Quarterfinalists in 2008, losing out 2-1 to the eventual winners and holders Eygpt.
