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World Cup-bound teams show little aplomb at African Nations Cup
Four of the five -- Algeria, Cameroon, Ghana and Nigeria -- lost their opening games at the tournament and were forced to come from behind to finish among the top two in their respective groups.
Ivory Coast is the only one of the teams heading to the World Cup finals in South Africa later this year which so far has not been beaten at the tournament.
But it has played just two matches in Angola because of the withdrawal of Togo before the tournament started, being held to a goalless draw by Burkina Faso before beating Ghana.
Algeria qualified for the last eight on the back of just a single goal, scored by defender Rafik Halliche when it beat Mali in their second Group A match.
The North Africans started with a shock 3-0 loss to Malawi and qualified on the back of an unconvincing goalless draw with host Angola.
But the Algerians, who will have England and the United States among their group opponents at the World Cup in June, insist they have overcome their stuttering start.
“The conditions have been difficult but we’ve kept working. We’ve been improving match-by-match,” coach Rabah Saadane said after their qualification for the last eight.
Cameroon only made it by virtue of having scored one more goal than Gabon in a count-back after a three-way tie at the head of their group.
The Ghanaians had to wait almost a week before they started their campaign, losing 3-1 to the Ivorians in Cabinda.
They then lost captain Michael Essien with a knee injury before sneaking through 1-0 over Burkina Faso in their last Group B game. Nigeria was thoroughly outplayed by Egypt in their opening game but still finished second after next beating Benin and Mozambique.
Egypt, which is seeking an unprecedented third successive Nations Cup title, has overshadowed the World Cup-bound teams and will start the quarterfinals as the favorite to retain its title.
Host Angola takes on Ghana in the first quarterfinal in Luanda today, followed by the meeting in Cabinda between the Ivorians and Algeria.
On Monday, Egypt takes on Cameroon in Benguela and Zambia plays Nigeria in Lubango. The semifinals will be played next Thursday with the final in Luanda on Jan. 31.
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