Five reasons why Burkina will win
09 Feb 2013 19:42:38
To millions of Burkinabe, Sunday’s 2013
Africa Cup of Nations final between their
national team and Nigeria is not an
obligatory mission. The Stallions have done
more than enough in the tournament to win
the hearts of all their local fans.
However, the players and technical staff see
things differently, as they keep refining their
plots against the Super Eagles in a bid to top
off their awesome exploit so far with an
eventual triumph.They hang their hope on
five things.
After struggling to book their place to the
South Africa 2013, Burkina came on as one
of the regular minnows expected to bow
out in the group stage, but their appetite for
more has been swelled by an overwhelming
ascension to the grand finale and they now
seem to be moving the dice through five
major scenarios to stun Nigeria.
1)Compact and relentless push
Burkina Faso have learnt and adopted a
compact and relentless midfield and
attacking push, which has sustained their
existence so far in the tournament, mostly
against Togo and Ghana in the quarter and
semi-finals respectively. By doing this, they
tend to disrupt the structure and creativity
of their adversaries and paddle them across
turbulence to nervousness and frailty.
2) Absence of Emenike and Moses
Both players are the most dreaded in the
camp of the Burkinabe and prayers have
been intense against the proper mending of
their situation ahead of Sunday’s clash. The
Spartak Moscow striker’s pace and ability
tofind holes in the opposing defence make
Paul Put frantic with worries. The Chelsea
player’s off-the-ball intelligence and pass
delivery don’t make the Burkinabe very safe,
so it’d be best if both do not play or are
depleted by injuries.
3) Second half stamina
The Stallions are known for their resistance
and enduring stamina, and are able to
maintain the run in second half while their
opponents are already gasping for air. That
is one aspect they would uphold against the
Super Eagles who have often evinced awful
fatigue deep after the break.
4) Good goalkeeping
Burkina Faso goalkeeper Daouda Diakite
may not be as renowned as Vincent
Enyeama of Nigeria, but close analysts say
the Stallions’ guardian has exhibited some
flair for penalty keeping both at national
team level and at his Belgian club Lierse, and
even during training sessions. Thus, the
team will hope, at the worst, hold the
session at stalemate till all the final whistles
and then throw in their goalkeeper to
decide their fate.
5) Pressure shift
Unlike when Nigeria played Ivory Coast in
the quarterfinals when the pressure was
burning on the Elephants’ shoulders, it has
shifted now unto the Super Eagles for
Sunday’s meeting. The Nigerians are
enjoying favourable previews across the
board at same time accumulating
Saturday, February 9, 2013
Goodbye Joe Ighile.
Channels TV presenter Joe Ighile collapses on
set, dies in hospital
Channels TV Head of Sports, Joe Ighile,
collapsed on set last night while presenting
the 9'Oclock live sports programme. After
introducing the programme, Joe told the crew
that he was feeling uncomfortable and asked
to take a break. He stepped out of the studio
for some fresh air and collapsed a few
minutes later.
He was immediately rushed to the hospital
where he later died. He was 47 years old
Joe Ighile joined Channels TV in 2003. He's
survived by a wife, two children and aged
mother. May his soul rest in peace...amen
Time will tell if allegri and Balotelli would be friends.
AC Milan coach Massimiliano Allegri is
enjoying working with Mario Balotelli.
Balotelli started last week after Giampaolo
Pazzini pulled out in the warm-up and
ended up scoring both goals in the 2-1 win
over Udinese.
“Mario is destined to be on the front pages,
as he suffers from an over-the-top media
pressure and everything he does is blown
up out of proportion. He has the qualities to
act as an assist-man and it’s only natural he
has to improve his fitness levels, as he has
barely played for three months.”lets hope his stubborness has reduced.
Nigeria vs Burkina Faso preview.
NIGERIA
Enyeama
Ambrose, Oboabona, Omeruo, Elderson
Onazi, Mikel, Mba
Ideye, Emenike, Moses
BURKINA FASO
Diakite
Koffi,B. Kone, Koulibaly, Panandetiguiri
D. Kone, Kabore, Rouamba, Pitroipa,
Nacoulma
Bance
The route to qualification for the 2013
Africa Cup of Nations tournament was
different for both sides. While the Super
Eagles walloped Liberia 6-1, the Stallions
needed a stoppage time goal to edge out
the Central African Republic 3-3 on
aggregate scores.
But that is where the difference ends, and
since their 1-1 draw on January 21, both
sides have grown in stature and will now
contest the final of the 2013 edition of the
Nations Cup with a chance to represent
Africa in the Fifa Confederations Cup later
this year in Brazil.
On the road to the final, Nigeria scored 10
goals and conceded four while Burkina Faso
have scored seven and conceded two. Both
have improved but Burkina Faso will be
missing in form striker Alain Traore, who
equalised against Nigeria and scored three
goals during the tournament before picking
up an injury. The good news for the
Burkinabe is that star player Jonathan
Pitroipa has had his red card from their last
match against Ghana rescinded after Caf
decided that his booking was a mistake.
The Nigerians also have injury concerns for
two of their better players – Emmanuel
Emenike, who has scored four goals, and
the chief instigator against Mali, Victor
Moses, who has added two strikes. Burkina
Faso will also have to make changes to their
line-up, with right-back Koffi a major doubt.
But as Jonathan Akpoborie said, “The Eagles
have to continue playing like they did
against Cote d’Ivoire.” That is good advice,
as nothing has been won yet by either team,
and while they are already both commended
for coming this far, history will only
remember the country that wins the title.
For Burkina Faso, this is uncharted territory
and for Nigeria, it is a chance to return to
the high standards of previous years.
DID YOU KNOW?
If the Nigeria win on Sunday, Stephen Keshi
will become the second man to win the
Nations Cup as coach and player after
Egyptian, Mahmoud Al Gohari.
Burkina Faso are into their first ever Nations
Cup finals.
Emmanuel Emenike will be hoping to beat
Mubarak Wakaso to the highest scorer
award - he has three goals to Wakaso's four.
Paul Put has been banned for life from
coaching in Belgium on account of a match-
fixing scandal in 2007.
Moumouni Dagano (pictured) has played in
six Nations Cup tournaments but has only
scored one goal.
Nigeria has played in the final of the Nations
Cup six times and won the trophy on two
occasions - in 1980 and 1994.
Burkina Faso is ranked 92nd in the world by
Fifa while Nigeria is ranked in 52nd place.
How Eagles should play>Finidi George.
Finidi George is one of the heroes of the
revolution Clemens Westerhof launched
in Nigerian football, a tremendous effort
that saw Nigeria rank the 5th best
football country in the world. It was a
feat many doubt if it can ever be
achieved again in this millennium. We
called Finidi’s house in Spain and asked
him what he thought of the two teams,
advice to the Eagles and what it feels like
playing in a cup final of this nature. He
said the following:
“I’m excited about the performance of
Stephen Keshi and his team. Sometimes,
it is good to enter a tournament as
underdogs. It reduces the pressure on
you. We have a good team and we
should be able to win. I’m particularly
hoping that we win so that our
authorities can begin to respect
indigenous coaches. Our people easily
fall for European coaches. And most
times they hire the ones who are not
better than our coaches.
Possible-Eagles
“The only difference is the skin and
that’s what they respect. I’m not
condemning foreign coaches but we
appear to generally have complex and
we go for any white man in the name of
foreign coach. What Keshi is doing now
is good. Even if he is no longer there in
Nigeria, his success can open the door
for other indigenous coaches who
should be inspired by the success he has
achieved so far and begin to work hard.
When you give somebody a national
team coaching job, give him about four
to five years to perform. If at the end of
this period it is clear that he is not
performing, you can then disengage
him. But it is not so for our people. They
sack under one year.
“We’ll not develop that way. I want Keshi
to win so that some people can shut up
and respect indigenous coaches and
encourage them to succeed. We should
learn from our mistakes and move on.
On the match against Burkina Faso, we
will be playing against a team that can
run for 90 minutes and they are not
tired. They are physically strong, very
strong players. I think that what we can
do is to pass the ball around. Let the ball
run and let Burkina players chase the
ball. We must not go into duels with
them because of their physical nature.
Let the ball do the running. We pass, look
for space and attack it. We should try to
score and lead well just like we did
against Mali. We need to play the way we
played our last two matches. If we do,
we will win the cup.
“The atmosphere is always electric on
cup final days. We didn’t enter the
competition as favourites and we
marched on to the final where some
people now feel we are favourites. We
should handle the pressure well and
remember that we went in as
underdogs. We should not, therefore, be
carried away. You play in a cup final to
win. No second chance. You must do
more than playing. You fight as a team
too. The fighting spirit must be there.
You must fight on till the referee’s last
whistle. I think that we can win the cup
and that will make not only our day but
also our year.”
revolution Clemens Westerhof launched
in Nigerian football, a tremendous effort
that saw Nigeria rank the 5th best
football country in the world. It was a
feat many doubt if it can ever be
achieved again in this millennium. We
called Finidi’s house in Spain and asked
him what he thought of the two teams,
advice to the Eagles and what it feels like
playing in a cup final of this nature. He
said the following:
“I’m excited about the performance of
Stephen Keshi and his team. Sometimes,
it is good to enter a tournament as
underdogs. It reduces the pressure on
you. We have a good team and we
should be able to win. I’m particularly
hoping that we win so that our
authorities can begin to respect
indigenous coaches. Our people easily
fall for European coaches. And most
times they hire the ones who are not
better than our coaches.
Possible-Eagles
“The only difference is the skin and
that’s what they respect. I’m not
condemning foreign coaches but we
appear to generally have complex and
we go for any white man in the name of
foreign coach. What Keshi is doing now
is good. Even if he is no longer there in
Nigeria, his success can open the door
for other indigenous coaches who
should be inspired by the success he has
achieved so far and begin to work hard.
When you give somebody a national
team coaching job, give him about four
to five years to perform. If at the end of
this period it is clear that he is not
performing, you can then disengage
him. But it is not so for our people. They
sack under one year.
“We’ll not develop that way. I want Keshi
to win so that some people can shut up
and respect indigenous coaches and
encourage them to succeed. We should
learn from our mistakes and move on.
On the match against Burkina Faso, we
will be playing against a team that can
run for 90 minutes and they are not
tired. They are physically strong, very
strong players. I think that what we can
do is to pass the ball around. Let the ball
run and let Burkina players chase the
ball. We must not go into duels with
them because of their physical nature.
Let the ball do the running. We pass, look
for space and attack it. We should try to
score and lead well just like we did
against Mali. We need to play the way we
played our last two matches. If we do,
we will win the cup.
“The atmosphere is always electric on
cup final days. We didn’t enter the
competition as favourites and we
marched on to the final where some
people now feel we are favourites. We
should handle the pressure well and
remember that we went in as
underdogs. We should not, therefore, be
carried away. You play in a cup final to
win. No second chance. You must do
more than playing. You fight as a team
too. The fighting spirit must be there.
You must fight on till the referee’s last
whistle. I think that we can win the cup
and that will make not only our day but
also our year.”
EPL vs La Liga according to micheal essien
Chelsea midfielder Michael Essien says he's
enjoying playing for Real Madrid.
The on-loan midfielder believes it is more
fun to play in Spain than England.
"The English competition is very physical.
From what I've seen so far in La Liga, teams
want to play in a way that is based more on
ball movement. This makes it more fun to
play. In England some teams do not focus on
playing, but more on the physical contact.
That's where I see the big difference."
Without playing a single game at AFCON this dude got a contract.
00:10
Parma midfielder Nwankwo Obiora has
joined Romania's FC Cluj.
The Nigeria international has spent the first
half of the campaign at Serie B side Padova,
but the 21-year-old will play for Paulo
Sergio's men for the next five months.
Cluj will play Inter Milan in the last 32 of the
Europa League.
Parma midfielder Nwankwo Obiora has
joined Romania's FC Cluj.
The Nigeria international has spent the first
half of the campaign at Serie B side Padova,
but the 21-year-old will play for Paulo
Sergio's men for the next five months.
Cluj will play Inter Milan in the last 32 of the
Europa League.
Mali edge out Ghana for bronze
Mali edge Ghana to finish third
09 Feb 2013 10:01:08
History repeated itself on
Saturday, after a first-half
Mahamadou Samassa header
and an early second-half
Seydou Keita strike guided Mali
to a second successive third-
place finish at the Africa Cup of Nations
(Afcon), as the Eagles defeated Ghana 3-1 at
a soaked Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in
Port Elizabeth.
Text Commentary Highlights
The fixture was a repeat of the 2012 Afcon
third-place playoff, when Mali defeated
Ghana 2-0 in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea.
With cloudy conditions persisting, heavy
rain started to fall half-an-hour before kick-
off, making conditions increasingly difficult
for both free-flowing sets of players.
The Ghanaians dominated the early
exchanges and were in with the first
chance after five minutes, but skipper
Asamoah Gyan's tame effort on target failed
to trouble Mali goalkeeper Soumbeila
Diakite, who made a routine save.
Five minutes later, Mahamadou Samassa
had Mali's first opportunity, after the striker
was put through on goal, but Samassa fired
his shot from a tight angle straight at
keeper Fatawu Dauda, who made a solid
stop on the ground.
Shortly after, Christian Atsu should have
done better for Ghana when he received an
excellent delivery across the face of goal
from Solomon Asante, but Atsu shot
straight at Diakite, with the keeper making
a superb reflex save from close-range.
With action swinging from end-to-end,
Samassa broke the deadlock in the 21st
minute, handing last year's bronze
medalists the early advantage.
[embed:video:id=213244] Adama
Tamboura made a darting run down the
left flank after a patient build-up by the
Eagles, before putting an accurate ball in
the Ghana area, as Samassa made contact
with his head from a diving effort, beating
Dauda who could do nothing from close-
range.
Ghana came back strongly and brought the
crowd to their feet as they thought
Kwadwo Asamoah's shot went in, but the
Juventus striker could only find the side-
netting with his effort from right of the
goal.
With rain bucketing down, Mubarak
Wakaso forced a diving save from Diakite,
after the joint leading goal-scorer of the
tournament unleashed a fierce left-footed
attempt, but Diakite – recalled after missing
the semifinal – was up to the task.
Samassa came agonisingly close for Mali
three minutes from the break as he
managed to lift a neat ball over Dauda, who
came rushing out to stop the advancing
forward, but Samassa's chip hit the upright
and bounced wide.
Mali were on the offensive and captain Keita
asked further questions of the Ghana
defence, narrowly missing a volleyed shot at
goal, which was to be the last opportunity
before the interval.
The Eagles stretched their advantage just
two minutes into the second period when
Keita smashed home past Dauda, after
receiving a low pass across the goalmouth
from Ousmane Coulibaly, leaving the shot-
stopper with no chance.
Controversy, however, was not far away as
referee Otogo Arnaud awarded Ghana a
57th minute penalty after Salif Coulibaly was
adjudged to have handled the ball inside his
own area.
Sensing a comeback was on the cards,
Wakaso stepped up confidently, but flashed
his effort over the goal, failing to add to his
four strikes in the tournament – three of
which came from the penalty spot.
Shortly after the hour mark, Gyan tested
Diakite once again, as the striker hit a
curling free-kick on target, only for Diakite
to make a diving save to his right, denying
the Black Stars their opener.
Keita responded with a free-kick of his
own, but Dauda was equal to the task,
tipping the ball over the crossbar and out
for a corner.
Looking in top shape, Keita thought he had
doubled his tally in the 72nd minute but
was ruled offside by the linesman.
Having suffered a dismal evening, Asamoah
sparked a revival from the Ghanaians as he
pulled a goal back eight minutes from time,
after his long-range strike appeared to have
moved in the air, deceiving Diakite, who
dived past the ball, handing the Black Stars
their only goal of the match.
Second-half replacement Sigamaray Diarra
had the last say, restoring Mali's two goal
advantage and ensuring victory in injury
time, after he volleyed in a w
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