Zambia making a song and dance of it
Upsets, wonder goals and play acting: Mike Fuller Looks back at the African Cup of Nations
Zambians jump for joy after surprise win over the Ivory Coast. Photography: Getty Images
There’s something pleasantly refreshing about the African Cup of Nations. This year’s competition was no exception with plenty of upsets, dramas and terrible pitches as underdogs Zambia triumphed over the Ivory Coast on penalties. Jointly hosted by Equatorial Guinea and Gabon, there were issues with low crowds but those that did turn out provided vibrant and passionate support.
Three nations were making their debut in the tournament; Equatorial Guinea received an automatic spot whilst Botswana and Niger had ousted higher ranked teams to win their qualification groups. The latter two lost every game in the competition proper to finish bottom of their respective groups but the minnow co-hosts flew the flag for competition debutants and were outstanding, making the quarter finals.
Equatorial Guinea provided two particularly memorable moments, both worth finding on Youtube. The first of these was a fantastic 25-yard strike from right-back Kily Alvarez, deep into added time, that ultimately got them through the group stage. The second, a remarkable piece of play-acting from Narcisse Ekanga, who tried and failed to convince the referee he’d been fouled and subsequently injured, going as far as to get the stretcher involved.
Gabon also gave the home fans plenty to cheer about, unexpectedly topping Group C with three wins out of three thanks, in part, to the goals of Pierre Aubameyang, the former AC Milan trainee doing his reputation no harm. Their story ended at the same stage as their co-hosts, suffering a heart-breaking loss to Mali on spot-kicks in the quarter finals.
Senegal were many people’s pick for the tournament after showing excellent form in qualification, but were undoubtedly the biggest disappointment. They suffered the same fate as Botswana and Niger and finished at the bottom of their group, to the delight of Newcastle United fans.
Cheick Diabate was the hero of the game nobody wants to play in, scoring the goals as Mali beat Ghana to earn third place, but this does not mean that the game wasn’t well contested. Mali succeeding in securing their highest ever finish and the celebrations after the final whistle showed how much it meant.
The final itself was tense and tight, the big moment coming midway through the second half when Gervinho was bundled over inside the box, before Ivory Coast captain and national icon Didier Drogba placed the resulting penalty high into the stands.
Extra time ensued, with both sides missing chances to win it. In the end it went to penalties. The first 14 spot kicks were scored; most were impeccably taken but Souleymane Bamba was let-off when his penalty was ordered to be retaken after Zambian goalie Mweene was judged to have come off his line.
By the 15th taker, the penalty spot was a mess and three consecutive misses gave Stoppila Sunzu the opportunity to be the hero. He slotted home to spark jubilant scenes in the stadium and in his home country as they sealed the title of champions of Africa for the first time.
Zambian side dedicate their victory to the plane crash victims of ‘93 Photography: Getty Images
Zambia’s story of glory is an uplifting one; the team dedicated their win to the 18 members of the national team killed in a plane crash 19 years ago. Whereas most of the tournament’s players ply their club trade outside of Africa, the majority of the Zambian squad play for domestic sides in their home country or in South Africa. Captain Christopher Katongo was named player of the tournament but it was really a triumph for a strong team ethic.
Despite not becoming eventual Champions, the Ivory Coast can feel confident that they have consolidated their position as Africa’s best side. Remarkably they didn’t concede a goal throughout the tournament.
The Cup of Nations returns next year, as scheduling is being switched so as not to clash with a World Cup year. South Africa will be the hosts, with a great set-up in place after hosting football’s biggest prize in 2010.
