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Africa: High Stakes as Final Soccer Four Battle It Out
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7 February 2008
Posted to the web 7 February 2008
Aliou Goloko
Accra
The 2008 Africa Cup of Nations soccer tournament is building to a climax as the top four teams contest the semifinals on Thursday night to the delight of fans across Africa.
The hosts, Ghana's Black Stars, face Cameroon's Indomitable Lions in Accra, while defending champions Egypt will play against Côte d'Ivoire.
A win for Ghana would take the Black Stars one step closer to matching Egypt's record win of five cups. With the advantage of home turf and a young and talented team, Ghana has maintained frontrunner status throughout the tournament.
After a difficult 1-0 win against Guinea in the opening game, Ghana gained strength and maturity, defeating both Namibia (1-0) and Morocco (2-0) before overcoming Nigeria in the quarterfinals (2-1).
Tonight's game will tell whether this new generation of players can deliver the long-awaited dream of a fifth victory. Their adversary, Cameroon, has quite a reputation on the continental stage.
Who Can Stop the Elephants?
The game between Côte d'Ivoire and Egypt gives the Ivoirians the opportunity to take revenge for their defeat by the Pharaohs in the penalty shoot-out which ended the 2006 Cup of Nations final.
So far Didier Drogba and his team have maintained a steady, assured pace which has displayed their determination to take the cup home.
They have maintained the strongest offense so far, scoring more goals than Egypt (13 in all) and conceding only one. They defeated Nigeria (1-0), Benin (4-1), Mali (3-0) and, in the quarterfinals, Guinea (5-0).
Côte d'Ivoire's offensive potential, more than their defensive abilities, is so far the team's strongest point—and one that may enable them to earn the country's second Cup of Nations.
Egypt's advantage is primarily psychological, based on their 2006 victory against the Ivoirians. Also, their 4-2 victory over Cameroon in Group B's opening game sent a clear signal to other contenders:
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Egypt, the only remaining team from North Africa, intends to retain its stature. And the prospects of bringing home an unprecedented sixth cup are likely to be strong motivation for the defending champions.
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