ACTUALITE |
21.01.2002
Cameroon open Cup defence with win as Burkina jolt South Africa
BAMAKO
Cameroon kicked off the defence of their African Nations Cup crown with a solid victory over DR Congo here Sunday as minnows Burkina Faso pulled off the first upset with a draw against South Africa.
Cameroon, aiming to become the first side since Ghana 37 years ago to successfully retain the African title, took all three points off the Congolese in Group C thanks to a wondergoal from Italy-based striker Patrick Mboma.
Picking up a short pass midway inside the DR Congo half, the Parma player sprinted across the field watched by four seemingly mesmerised defenders before unleashing a thunderbolt.
Goalkeeper Nkombe Tokala never stood a chance as the ball flew over him into the roof of the net to the delight of a large Cameroon following in Sikasso`s 15,000-seat stadium.
In Sunday`s early match, tournament dark horses Senegal started their campaign with a win, edging a gritty, defence-dominated Group D battle with Egypt in Bamako 1-0 courtesy of an 82nd-minute Lamine Diatta goal.
The first clash in the `Group of Death` was billed as a showdown between Al-Hadji `Serial Killer` Diouf and Khaled `Bebo` al-Amin, but Diatta stole the show with time running out.
Essam al-Hadary punched away the fifth Senegalese corner of a bruising game and Diatta delicately headed the ball back over the goalkeeper and several defenders into the net.
Diouf, from French club Lens, wasted a glorious chance in the closing stages when his shot from inside the penalty area was blocked by Al-Hadary after he had broken clear.
The win was greeted with a mixture of delight and relief by Senegal`s French coach Bruno Metsu, who has attained hero status since successfully guiding the `Lions of Teranga` to this year`s World Cup.
"It was an extremely difficult victory against a very good Egypt side," Metsu said. "Winning the first match in our group is very important - it takes a bit of the pressure off in the remaining games.
"They made it almost impossible for us with their defence," Metsu said admiringly. "They were so hard to break down."
Egypt captain Hany Ramzy was distraught at the loss, and admitted the Pharaohs` Nations Cup hopes were now hanging in the balance.
"It was very disappointing to concede a goal from a corner at that late stage after we had defended and played so well," he said.
"We`ve made it harder for ourselves now. We`ve got a good chance to go through but we can`t afford any more mistakes," the Kaiserslautern libero added.
While Senegal and Cameroon got off the mark smoothly, South Africa`s tournament began with a wobble which took the form of a 0-0 draw against Burkina Faso in Segou.
Burkinabe coch Jacques Yameogo said on the eve of the Group B match that his team would fight like warriors and they did, rattling Bafana Bafana (The Boys) into numerous unforced errors.
The Stallions could even have won on a warm evening with Moumouni Dagano spurning a chance in each half against opponents who lost captain and crack striker Shaun Bartlett with a foot injury early in the first half.
Dagano burst clear late in the opening half, but his pass to unmarked Oumar Barro was poor and a golden opportunity lost to rock the team ranked second in Africa behind Tunisia.
Burkina Faso were thought to be the weakest of South Africa`s first round opponents, and they now face testing ties with Ghana and Morocco - who play Monday - in their remaining games.
South Africa`s under-fire coach Carlos Queiroz said after that the draw was a fair reflection of the game but at the same time his team faced "physical intimidation".
"I`m not disappointed. The draw was a fair result. We lost a player and it was very difficult to play our skillful football. We faced a lot of physical intimidation but my players never quit. We always tried to play unfortunately we failed to score. That was my disappiontment," Queiroz said.
"If this is the way all our matches will be, we will not end the tournament with most of our first team"
In Monday`s other fixtures, Algeria play Nigeria in Group A, Ivory Coast take on Togo in Group C, with Tunisia facing Zambia in Group D.
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