6 Winners and 6 Losers from Matchday 2 of the AFCON
Two rounds of the Africa Cup of Nations have now passed, and as we near the knockout stages, the consequences of the good, the bad, and the ugly intensifies. AFKSports brings you a slideshow of 6 Winners and 6 Losers from Matchday 2 of the AFCON.
Winners
Asamoah Gyan – Ghana
Asamoah Gyan had himself a hero’s homecoming after recovering from a mild bout of malaria. 15, 000 in Mongomo treated him to a rapturous ovation when he stepped onto the pitch, and he justified the crowd’s adulation. Though he was kept quiet for most of the match, in the final moments of Ghana’s match vs. Algeria, Gyan outpaced Algerian centre-half Carl Medjani and slotted past Rais M’Bolhi to revive Ghana’s chances of progressing to the quarterfinals.
Winners
Yassine Chikhaoui – Tunisia
Before the tournament began, Yassine Chikhaoui was billed as one to watch for the Carthage Eagles. He’s enjoyed a prolific season with FC Zurich, scoring and assisting in double figures. But in Tunisia’s opening match against Cape Verde, Carthage’s answer to Zinedine Zidane was stifled by his teammates’ lack of movement. Chikhaoui was much improved against Zambia, and his leadership was on display as he rose to meet a Ali Maaloul cross and head a game-winning goal past Kennedy Mweene.
Winners
Esteban Becker – Equatorial Guinea
Equatorial Guinea are, on paper, the least talented team in this edition of the Africa Cup of Nations. The Nzalang Nacional struggled to get past the preliminary stages of AFCON qualifying. When you also factor in that Becker was hired just a week before the tournament kicked off, the Argentinian caretaker must be commended for keeping his men in contention for the quarterfinal ahead of matchday 3.
Winners
Ibrahima Traore – Guinea
Ibrahima Traoré features as a winner for the second consecutive week, as he continues to shine in Equatorial Guinea. After torching Wilfried Kanon in the first matchday, Traoré shone against Cameroon, creating danger at will. The man, who plies his trade in Germany at Monchengladbach, even etched his name on the scoresheet after turning away from two defenders and blasting past Fabrice Ondoa.
Winners
Madjid Bougherra – Algeria
The de facto Algerian captain had lost his starting position since Algeria’s match against Russia in the World Cup. And since Christian Gourcuff’s arrival the former Rangers defender has rarely featured for Les Fennecs. His return against Ghana was a successful one, as he won several tackles and interceptions. The 32 year-old veteran will surely retain his place in Gourcuff’s team in Algeria’s cruch match against Senegal on Tuesday.
Winners
Prince Oniangue – Congo
Prince Oniangue scores many goals with perfectly timed runs from midfield and –as he stands at an imposing 1.88 metres – he also tends to score headers. But, against Gabon, Oniangue poked home a loose ball from a corner kick that provided the Red Devils with a crucial victory. They now stand in pole position to qualify for the knockout stages.
Losers
Carl Medjani – Algeria
Carl Medjani was faultless for 90 minutes against Ghana on Friday evening. But in the final seconds of extra time, the Trabzonspor centre-half lost a footrace to Asamoah Gyan, who hit a bouncing shot past the otherwise indomitable Raïs M’Bolhi. Medjani must, therefore, shoulder the blame for a loss that might send his nation home early.
Losers
Jonathan Pitroipa – Burkina Faso
Though Pitroipa led the continent in scoring during qualifiers, the Al Ain winger has failed to find the mark during these Cup of Nations. Deployed as a lone striker or on the left, when Aristide Bancé spearheads the attack, Pitroipa has been finding space, but has failed to execute in front of goal. If the Burkinabé captain continues to misfire, The Black Stallions could crash out early.
Losers
The Gabonese Attack
Touted as one of the most fearsome strikeforces on the continent, Gabon were shut out by a stingy Congolese defence. The attacking trident of Frederic Bulot, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, and Malick Evouna could not seriously threaten Christopher Mafoumbi’s goal. It is just one match, but there are serious warning signs for Jorge Costa’s men.
Losers
Christopher Munthali – Zambia
A salient feature of Zambia’s 2012 Africa Cup of Nations-winning side was an obdurate centre-half pairing, which shut out the likes of Didier Drogba and Asamoah Gyan. One half of the pairing, Stoppila Sunzu, has continued to put in solid performances. But his new partner Christopher Munthali has failed to fill in Himoondi’s boots, and Munthali was at fault for Yassine Chikhaoui’s go-ahead goal on Friday night.
Losers
Naby Yattara – Guinea
The howler of the first round must go to Naby Yattara, Guinea’s first choice goalkeeper. In the first half of their match versus Cameroon, Yattara made a fatal mistake that robbed his team of a precious victory. Benajamin Moukandjo took an inswinging corner kick that snuck directly into Yattara’s near post. Yattara’s gaffe contravenes the cardinal rule of goalkeeping, which is to always cover one’s near post.
Losers
Honour Janza – Zambia
Zambia’s head coach has failed to win either of his two first matches, and his tenure is now in extreme jeopardy. After the loss against Tunisia, Janza complained about ‘selfishness’ amongst certain members of his squad. “We created more chances, could have scored maybe four goals, but because of selfish egos it’s difficult.”