Qualification for the 2012 Cup of Nations begins in the Dark Continent.
See the champions, take the field now, you define us, make us feel proud.
Away from the mayhem of European Championship qualifying, the African stars of the 2010 World Cup were once again lining up for their national sides. The likes of Asamoah Gyan and Siphiwe Tshabalala appeared in the first set of competitive matches since the finals in South Africa.
The tournament, which is to be co-hosted by Gabon and Equatorial Guinea, will be the 28th edition with the winner going on to compete in the 2013 Fifa Confederations Cup in Brazil.
There were comfortable wins for Nigeria, Cameroon, South Africa, Ivory Coast and Ghana whilst Egypt were surprisingly held to a 1-1 draw against Sierra Leone.
Other notable results were Botswana’s 1-0 win away at Tunisia and Sudan triumphing 2-0 against a strong Congo side.
World Cup quarter-finalists Ghana look to be one of the favourites early on along with Ivory Coast, a side looking to recover from a premature exit in South Africa this summer.
Author’s Favourites: Ivory Coast
Players to Watch : Asamoah Gyan (Ghana) Didier Drogba (Ivory Coast)
Rising Star: Andre Ayew (Ghana)
Surprise Package: Sudan
No comments:
Post a Comment