2023 Africa Cup of Nations: 5 things we learned on day 7 - it's getting psychedelic
Tanzania's football chiefs sacked the coach after he went spiral with a spray of salty comments and a team from the smallest nation at the tournament has outperformed two giants.
Issued on:
Mind-altering optics
So farewell then Adel Amrouche. Tanzania's football chiefs divested the 55-year-old Algerian of his functions as head coach less than 24 hours after the supremos at the continental game's governing body ordered his suspension for eight matches over comments he made in an interview with Algerian TV about Morocco. The review won't go into too much detail but suffice it to say, according to Amrouche, the Moroccan football federation is running the show in Africa. Perhaps Amrouche is onto something or maybe on something. He could even be on something because he was onto something. At any rate, he is on the dole. His erstwhile employers have replaced him with Hemed Suleiman. His nickname? 'Morocco'. The country the supremos chose last September to stage the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations? Morocco.
Ooh Bebé!!
Well, the review couldn’t resist that headline. And for good reason. Tiago Manuel Dias Correia, AKA Bebé, scorched a free-kick from 35 metres past the Mozambique goalkeeper Ernan to open the scoring for Cape Verde in their Group B clash. Skipper Ryan Mendes got the second just after the restart and Kevin Pina added the third mid way through the second-half. It all means that Cape Verde, the smallest nation competing at the tournament, advanced to the knockout stages as winners of the pool ahead of the teetering titans Ghana and Egypt.
Ooh baby, it’s tempting
How the Cape Verde supporters rejoiced. Last October, when the draw was made for the six pools at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, Group B was regarded as a battle for supremacy between Egypt and Ghana. Not at all. When those two played in Abidjan on Day 6, it was a dance for survival after Egypt scraped a 2-2 draw with Mozambique and Ghana lost to Cape Verde in the opening round of games. Cape Verde boss Bubista can effectively send out his B team when they play Egypt on Day 10. Victory though would dispatch Egypt from a competition they have won seven times. What’s a coach to do?
Stadium humour
Respect goes out to the players and the officials for running around in this heat. The match between Cape Verde and Mozambique at the Stade Félix Houphouët-Boigny started at 2pm local time in temperatures of 33 degrees celsius. It was still quite heavy and humid when they took the first of the official cooling breaks. It seems a bit provocative of the Confederation of African Football - which is organising the Cup of Nations extravaganza - to sanction a warning on the giant screens around the grounds for spectators to stay out of the sun.
Luck of champions?
Defending champions Senegal also advanced to the last-16 following a 3-1 success over Cameroon to follow up their 3-0 breeze past Gambia. But the review has a sneaking feeling the Senegalese are using up their luck. Their second goal came after a sustained period of Cameroon pressure during which the Senegal goalkeeper Edouard Mendy looked really ropey. He flapped at a corner and missed it. Fortunately one of his defenders was behind him to nod away a goal-bound header. Mendy then mishandled a fairly routine ball into the penalty area. A few minutes later, the Cameroon defence was equally dopey allowing Habib Diallo to run unchallenged on to Ismail Sarr's pass from the right and slot the ball into the net to make it 2-0. After Cameroon pulled it back to 2-1, they missed a wonderful chance in stoppage-time to equalise. Senegal went up the other end and scored. 3-1 looks dominant but it really wasn't. Wouldn't it be something if their luck were to run out in a game against a certain country in northern Africa?
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