Benin might upset as Pharaohs look to assuage pain of loss

The big question as the Africa Cup of Nations kick-off nears is whether Egypt will retain the title they have already won an unprecedented six times.

The Pharaohs are wounded after failing to qualify for the 2010 World Cup and hope to clinch the Nations Cup to make up for their sorrows.

Then there is Nigeria, who struggled through the second round qualifiers to the World Cup and won the ticket to South Africa only on the last day in Nairobi when they beat Kenya 3-2.

Any analyst will rush to give Egypt and Nigeria the tickets from Group C – but then, wait a minute. Do you realise that it is Mozambique who nearly messed up Nigeria’s chances with a draw in Maputo and another near draw in Abuja?

Well, the Mozambicans carry their form to this group and come face to face with Nigeria once again, giving them a chance to put records straight with the Super Eagles.

Benin are also in the group and can also cause a major upset.

Benin

Benin came through a group that also had Mali, Sudan and Ghana, finishing second behind World Cup-bound Ghana and ahead of a talented Mali side.

It would have been wishing for far too much from the Benin side to expect them to beat Ghana to the World Cup ticket, but the Squirrels, as the Benin side is nicknamed, will be more than happy to parade their best in the Africa Cup of Nations for only their third time in history.

The Benin side will be boosted by the results of their qualifying rounds, where they were the only side to beat Ghana in the run-up to the 2010 World Cup with a 1-0 home win.

With 10 points in the bag, the Squirrels were just three points behind the Black Stars and any lapse in the Ghana camp through the qualifiers and Benin would today be headed to South Africa.

But their Nations Cup history has nothing much to write home about. Twice – in 2004 and 2008 – the West Africans have been in the continental showcase but have not had much of an impact.

However, going by their performance in the qualifiers, which also saw them beat Sudan both home and away, Benin’s opponents should be wary.

And they have the players who can help them achieve success in Angola – among them Stephane Sessegnon, Razak Omotoyossi and Romuald Boco, who played a key role in the qualifiers

Egypt

Nothing but the title will appease the Egyptians after they famously failed to qualify for the 2010 World Cup.

The Pharaohs, who have won the Africa Cup of Nations a record six times and go to Angola as holders, came through a bloody qualifier against their long-time rivals, Algeria, the latter emerging winners after a play-off game in Sudan.

The result has created a diplomatic row between the two neighbouring North African nations and has left Egypt facing possible sanctions from world soccer governing body, Fifa, for the behaviour of their fans who attacked the Algerian team bus in Cairo.

Which makes the Egyptians worth watching in Angola. A good team the Pharaohs have, but the events of the qualifiers may come to haunt them in the tournament in which they are always favourites.

It would be interesting to see how they will manage the psychological torment the failure to win a World Cup ticket has caused them but, given their status in African football, it will also be a disaster if they fail to go past the group stage.

They are the most successful African team at Confederations Cup level, winning the ANC six times: the inaugural African Nations Cup in 1957, then in 1959, 1986, 1998, 2006 and 2008.

Egypt were the first African country to participate in the World Cup when they played in Italy 1934, losing to Hungary 4-2. The only other time they were in the World Cup was in 1990, again in Italy, and for a team that has been so successful on home soil, why they could not make it to the World Cup this time round is baffling.

Which is why the team was so focused on qualifying to South Africa, and that failure may cost them the glory of a historic seventh Nations Cup title.

Mozambique

Underrate Mozambique at your own peril.

The Nigerian Super Eagles who are in this group know what the sting of the Mambas can do. The Mozambicans nearly messed the World Cup party for the Nigerian when they held the Super Eagles to a barren draw in Maputo, a game that the referee denied them two clear goals.

This result saw Nigeria play second fiddle to Tunisia for the most of the qualifiers until the last day of the qualifiers when the Mozambicans did the Super Eagles a huge favour by beating the Tunisians in Maputo as Nigeria struggled to beat Kenya in Nairobi.

So thanks to the Mozambicans, Nigeria will be in the World Cup.

But no one even the Nigerians should expect such favours again from the Mambas as they head to Angola.

The Mambas played the best football in the qualifying group but were undone by their inexperience especially in the game against Nigeria away in which they held on until the final second of the game when the Super Eagles got a goal to win 1-0.

“We learnt from our mistakes and now we want to do something in the Africa Cup of Nations,” said their coach Mart Nooij.

Mozambique have been to three Africa Cup of Nations tournaments before in 1986, 1996 and 1998. After a 12 year wait, they parade in Angola hoping to make an impact.

“We want to win some games. The group is difficult with Egypt coming as champions and Nigeria as World Cup bound. We also have Benin who are a very good side. But I believe we can achieve something here,” their coach added.

Basing on their performance in the qualifiers, especially with their very patient approach in the game, Mozambique should not be underrated.

Factfile: Mozambique
Nickname: The Mambas
Head coach: Mart Nooij Captain: Manuel Tico-Tico Current World Ranking: 72
Nations Cup record: appearances 1986, 1996, 1998

Nigeria

Expect any other day Nigeria to be named among the contenders for the Africa Nations Cup title.

But the 22nd ranked team in the World and third in Africa only have two successes n the competition-in 1980 and 1994.

For a team so talented, why they are not ruling African football cannot be understood. But the big egos of their highly paid players and lack of unity in the team has been one of their major problems. Add this to some technical frailties and political interference.

In Nigeria, picking the national team coach is a political issue, picking the players is also politicized and in the end, the players themselves end up playing with no unity.

It is the same problem they take themselves with to Angola. They are not sure whether coach Shuaibu Amodu should steer them team to the World Cup. Already there are talks of a foreigner being hired before the Nations Cup, but the political mandarin who handle the team are currently debating on who is fit.

There is no question the Nigerian array of talent distributed around the World including Kenya where the Premier League’s joint top scorer Joseph Emeka was a Nigerian, but that talent is not reflective on their performance in the World Cup especially where they missed the 2006 competition and were eliminated from the second round in 1998 nd first round in 2002.

It has been a long wait for an African success for Nigeria but they do not go to Angola as clear favourites more so after struggling to win a World Cup ticket.

Yet they present one of the most talented squads in the competition with the likes of Tae Taiwo, Joseph Yobo, Nwankwo Kanu, Obafemi Martins, John Mikel Obi….the list of their talent is endless, but will they deliver.

Losing out in the first round, though possible will be a disaster for the World Cup bound team but if they go and win the title, it will be an unexpected achievement given the caliber of teams parading in Angola.

If the latter day Nigeria is bound to struggle against teams like Mozambique, Angola and even Benin what would you expect them to post against Cote d’Ivoire or Ghana?

Factfile: Nigeria
Nickname: Super Eagles
Coach Shaibu Amodu
Captain: Nwankwo Kanu
Current World Ranking: 22
Nations Cup record: Winners 1980, 1994