The
Africa Cup of Nations got off to an awful start last week when Togo had to
withdraw from the tournament after their bus was ambushed near Cabinda, in northern
Angola. But two days later, Africa's biggest soccer tournament kicked off to a packed stadium in
Luanda. Angola took on Mali in the opening match. Twelve minutes before the final whistle, celebrations were fully underway in bars and homes across Angola as the home team was comfortably in command, 4-0. What happened next defied all expectations. Mali managed to score four goals in 11 minutes to end the game in a
draw. Angolans were still in a daze the following day, as no one turned up to see Malawi's crushing defeat over World Cup qualifier Algeria. The Flames surprised everyone by
beating Algeria 3-0 in an empty stadium. More drama to follow as Burkina Faso managed a
draw against the Ivory Coast, who are favorites to win the tournament with their superstar, Drogba, at the helm. Gabon continued to upset the balance and confounded everyone by
beating Cameroon.
By the the latter part of the week however, everything seemed to calm down and the pecking order was restored. Angola
beat Malawi 2-0 as expected and home fans could breathe again.
Algeria beat Mali, Egypt and the Ivory Coast played well enough in their second matches to secure a spot in the quarter finals (taking place next week). And earlier today Cameroon just
beat Zambia 3-2 in a thrilling game. Check all the scores and fixtures for the
Africa Cup of Nations ...
Despite the Togo tragedy, the show has indeed gone on, and it's been very entertaining. Not every game has been well attended. Many fans aren't traveling to Angola to watch their teams, which may not be a surprise given that Angola,
and Luanda in particular, is one of the most expensive destinations in the world. (After decades of civil war, it's no surprise that hotel rooms are scarce.) Regardless of the economics, I'm really looking forward to another week of entertaining football, as I predict are many Africans who get to watch their best players in national colors for a change.
