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Ghana vs Mali: Black Stars pressured to win bronze and cool down ungrateful fans
The road to reach the Last 4 for the teams involved has been long. Mali will be content with a third-place finish considering the caliber of their opponents in each knock-out fixture. Ousting Aubameyang’s Gabon on penalties against the odds was a remarkable achievement to do in the quarter-finals. Falling to Cote d’Ivoire on a 1-0 score line in the semi-finals was heartbreaking but not humiliating. The Elephants are arguably Africa’s team to beat currently so it would have required fire from heaven to destroy them and put Mali into the final.
In a rematch of Group D’s Ghana vs Mali encounter, the Eagles will strive for revenge. They have a genuine chance of punishing the Black Stars. Confusion and pressure has put pre-tournament favorites Ghana in an awkward position ahead of Saturday’s third-place final battle.
2012 AFCON semis kick off with Ghana vs Cote d’Ivoire final in prospect
A quick recap of what happened in the 2012 AFCON's Last 8
The lineup for the semi-final stage at the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations is mouthwatering. Mali earned a spot in the semis after a dramatic penalty shootout saw them oust co-hosts Gabon in the quarter-finals.
Cote d’Ivoire also kicked out co-hosts Equatorial Guinea. The Elephants’ victory was straightforward, though: two powerful goals from Didier Drogba and an outrageous free-kick by Yaya Toure did the trick.
Like Cote d’Ivoire, Zambia recorded a 3-0 win in the quarter-finals. Christopher Katongo was the star man as the Chipolopolo dismantled the brave Sudanese.
Ghana joined Zambia in the semis thanks to a hard-fought triumph over Tunisia. Dede Ayew scored the winning goal in extra-time to force the Tunisians to a 2-1 defeat.
Re-live the quarter-finals matches through video highlights from our 2012 Africa Cup of Nations Fixtures and Results page.
Ghana, Gabon & Cote d’Ivoire’s presence electrifies 2012 AFCON quarter-finals
Zambia vs Sudan, Cote d’Ivoire vs Equatorial Guinea, Gabon vs Mali and Ghana vs Tunisia complete the quarter-final phase’s fixtures list. The 2012 Africa Cup of Nations doesn’t need the weight of continental giants Nigeria, Egypt and Cameroon to be fantastic!
So-called minnows like co-hosts Equatorial Guinea have performed against the odds to give the tournament a special electrifying touch. Sudan have also provided a shock by reaching the quarter-final stage at the expense of Angola. Meanwhile, Seydou Keita’s Mali had to wait until the very last minute to know their fate.
Ghana haven’t hit top form yet and this is why curiosity comes in. How will the Black Stars fare in the knock-out stage against the struggling Tunisians? Do the Ghanaians possess enough fire in their belly to reach the final at the expectations of the public?
2012 Africa Cup of Nations: Watch out for more live action on Matchday 2
Followers of the competition got served with 8 great matches on Matchday 1. Equatorial Guinea opened the show in great fashion. They recorded a vital 1-0 victory against Libya thanks to a late goal from Balboa.
Zambia sealed the wonderful night with a 2-1 triumph over Senegal. The Chipolopolo will have the chance to step closer to qualification at the Estadio de Bata.
Libya vs Zambia will open Matchday 2 of the 2012 AFCON. Equatorial Guinea vs Senegal will provide thrills as the co-hosts would want to test their power against the Teranga Lions. If the Senegalese don’t improve from their poor form against the Zambians, Equatorial Guinea may clinch their second victory on the trot.
2012 Africa Cup of Nations: Focus on Group D
Key match-ups
Ghana vs Botswana
With their attainments in the last few years, Ghana’s young side have proved that they are not a side to underestimate. It will be interesting to see them battling Botswana, who are just making their first appearance in the Africa Cup of Nations tournament. But that surely does not mean that they are simply minnows. An impressive qualification run that saw them top Group K is just enough to send the Black Stars a strong warning.
Ghana vs Guinea
The two countries met in the opening match of the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations, when Ghana were then hosting the tournament. A 2-1 victory for the Black Stars threw the Guineans on the back foot after Day 1, but the story is likely to be different this time around. “Revenge” is not necessarily the keyword in this game; but in any case, the National Elephants have a realistic idea of how dangerous the Ghanaians can be. Thus, we could be in for a game of strategy and techniques.
2012 Africa Cup of Nations team profiles: Focus on Mali’s 2012 AFCON history
They are called the Eagles (les Aigles in French). They are led by the experience of ex-Olympic Lyonnais and Real Madrid star Mahamadou Diarra and their coach is former Toulouse, PSG and Gabon manager Alain Giresse. The Eagles are 67th in the world and 15th in Africa. What should the Malians expect of their...
2012 Africa Cup of Nations team profiles: Focus on Guinea’s AFCON history
They are 18th in Africa and 80th overall according to the FIFA Rankings, they are not considered as one of the continent’s main forces and they don’t even have World Cup memories to boast about. However, the National Elephants have a bigger Nations Cup history than many may recall. In this recap, we bring to mind the various highlights and lowlights of the Guinean national team—controlled by the Fédération Guinéenne de Football and currently managed by Michel Dussuyer.
Guinea’s eventful past
Let’s go way back to the year 1970. That’s when the National Elephants finally experienced African up of Nations football. Seven years before, they got disqualified from Ghana 1963 for failing to provide neutral officials in the second leg of their 3-2 aggregate tie against Nigeria in the qualifiers.
Lionel Messi’s Injury-Maker Ujfalusi Is Not Malicious – Atletico Madrid’s Cerezo
However, club President Enrique Cerezo has appealed for a better treatment of the guilty defender. Although it appears to be terrible on the picture, Atletico Madrid’s president Enrique Cerezo has insisted that guilty defender Tomas Ujfalusi didn’t injure Lionel Messi with intent. As he tried to calm things down, Cerezo explained while speaking to Spanish media Marca:
“It was a normal input in the box, and we all threw our hands to our heads when we saw the red card because we didn’t think the tackle was that bad. Replays show that you could think more about decision, though.
2010 Africa Cup of Nations – Day 3 Preview – Group A
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Angola and Algeria will clash at the Estadio 11 de Novembro in Luanda whereas Mali and Malawi will lock horns at the Estadio Chimandela in Cabinda.
In Group A, nothing is settled yet. Angola top the table with 4 points followed by Malawi and Algeria who both have 3 points.
Mali are the most vulnerable with a single point and a negative goal difference but they still have the mathematical chance of reaching the quarter-finals at the expense of one of Group A’s top three teams at the moment.
LiveSoccerTV.com starts by previewing Angola vs Algeria before looking ahead to the Mali vs Malawi game.
2010 Africa Cup of Nations – Day 2 Preview – Group A
The Estadio 11 de Novembro will in Luanda will host Mali and Algeria at 16:00 GMT before welcoming Angola and Malawi at 18:30.
Mali vs Algeria – 2010 Africa Cup of Nations Match Preview
This clash will undoubtedly receive much attention due to the mental battles that will definitely be involved in the encounter.
Mali
On match-day one of the campaign, Mali unbelievably recovered from 4-0 down against the Angolans to draw level, thanks to four late goals that were scored in the last 11 minutes of the match.
The Eagles consequently earned at least a point and can now enter Thursday’s game with a boost of confidence after achieving the ‘unthinkable’ on the opening day of the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations.
Angola vs Mali 2010 Africa Cup of Nations Match Preview
Angola – time to back up and shine
Like every host nation’s dream, Angola’s wish will be to kick start the competition with three points in their bag at the end of proceedings.
However, how likely are they to defeat the Malians and therefore clinch a victory on Sunday?
Quick recent statistics and comparisons
Since coach Manuel Jose’s appointment back in May 2009, Angola have played ten matches and won only twice. The Black Antelopes’ average of goals per match doesn’t even hit one as they’ve netted only 8 times in as much as ten encounters.
Mali Team Profile - 2010 Africa Cup of Nations
Mali – The country, the football
Landlocked in the middle of other territories such as Algeria, Niger, Burkina Faso, Cote d’Ivoire, Guinea, Senegal, and Mauritinia, Mali counts as one of the largest countries on the African continent.
It is actually ranked seventh with a size of around 1,240,000 km² populated by an estimated 13,000,000 habitants.
The former French colony which gained its independence in 1959 has a motto that spreads the message of unity and team effort:
“One people, one goal, one faith” is the saying that powered the national football team to create an impact at the continental level.