Africa Cup of Nations Wrap Up: 1.25.08

Another action packed today at the Africa Cup of Nations as Group B got even more interesting. It was always going to be “the Group of Death” or poor Benin, and the Squirrels eliminations was confirmed after the Elephants trampled them 4-1 (now there’s a disturbing mental image.) But the real drama came next, when Nigeria went into the game against Mali needing a win to get back on track and came out with just a 0-0 draw.

Cote d’Ivoire 4-1 Benin

This was a little tense for a while, as Cote d’Ivoire did a bit of a Ghana and kept wasting chances and hitting the metalwork. But with Didier Drogba around that can only last so long. Through on goal, the Chelsea man drew the keeper and finished like an expert. Which he is. The Toure brothers made it two when Kolo set up Yaya for a tap in at the far post, and Drogba made two more; first using his strength to send the dangerous looking Abdul Kader Keita through on goal and then calmly lofting a ball towards Aruna Dindane, who finished with a nice header. You can see all the goals here.

Benin scored a late late goal so at least it was worth them turning up, but Cote d’Ivoire looked like a well-oiled machine with every part in good working order. Except for Kolo Toure, who pulled his groin and had to leave lying on a stretcher and with an ice-bag between his legs. Not the most dignified exit. Toure will likely miss the game against Mali, but Cote d’Ivoire are already through and will just be hoping Toure returns in time for the quarter-finals.

Mali 0-0 Nigeria

After losing 1-0 to Cote d’Ivoire in the opener, Nigeria desperately needed a win here to keep destiny in their own hands. Captain Kanu was out injured and John Utaka was dropped as Berti Vogts shuffled the ineffectual attacking pack that had faced Cote d’Ivoire. Mali already had three point from the 1-0 win over Benin, so a draw would suit them nicely. Though it finished 0-0, this was end to end stuff, sometimes very literally. Yakubu had the ball in the back of the net in the 79th minute, but he was flagged for offside. The replay showed he was actually offside twice in the move so he couldn’t really argue.

Vogts sent on various attacker, including subbing Obafemi Martins for John Utaka at half-time, but no goals came. My feeling is that Nigeria lack someone creative in midfield. Seyi Olofinjana works hard in central midfield but will never be capable of pulling out a bit of magic, while John Mikel Obi’s is nowhere near mature enough to take hold of important games and dictate them. Out wide Vogts employs strikers as wingers, as opposed to actual wingers, resulting in a lack of anyone really capable of crossing properly or picking out a decent pass.

I caught John Mikel Obi’s post match interview…