Gabon became the latest underdogs at the Africa Cup of Nations to punch above their weight when they claimed the scalp of continental giants Cameroon with a 1-0 win on Wednesday.
Later in Lubango, 2004 champions Tunisia were unable to capitalize on Cameroon’s slip-up when they escaped with a 1-1 draw against Zambia to leave Group D wide open.
Angola 2010 is fast earning a reputation as a tournament of upsets, with Angola squandering a 4-0 lead to draw 4-4 draw against Mali, Algeria whipped 3-0 by Malawi, and Ivory Coast held by Burkina Faso.
Egypt, the two-time champions, are the only side to do themselves justice in the opening week with their 3-1 defeat of Nigeria on Tuesday.
On paper, Cameroon, officially rated the best side in Africa, should have taken Gabon to the cleaners, but Inter Milan striker Samuel Eto’o and his teammates were unable to respond to Gabon’s Hull City striker Daniel Cousin who produced the only goal of the game to go top of Group D.
Veteran Cameroon central defender Rigobert Song became the first man to play in eight Nations Cup tournaments, but he would have surely traded his place in history for a different result.
“We weren’t great,” Cameroon coach Paul Le Guen said. “But above all we can’t become destabilized, the last two first round games can allow us to qualify.”
Eto’o noted a striking parallel to their experience in Ghana in 2008: “Two years ago we were in the same situation [having lost their opener and then facing Zambia, whom they meet on Sunday, in their second].”
The former three-time African Footballer of the Year added: “Losing today is not a big problem but we have to win our next game against Zambia on Sunday. “We controlled the match but could not find the net.”
“We are very pleased we got a win in the first game. Our system worked well and technically we were very good,” Gabon coach and former France star Alain Giresse said.
Tunisia must have fancied their chances of seizing the initiative against Zambia, but they found themselves trailing after 19 minutes when James Chamanga, who plays his club soccer in China, charged down the center and found Jacob Mulenga on his right to score.
Tunisia avoided embarrassment when five minutes before the break teenage striker Youssef Msakni tore the Zambian defense apart down the left, cutting the ball back to Zouhaier Dhaouadhi, who slammed it into the roof of the net.
A seven-year-old horse had to be euthanized on Friday after breaking its back on the final fence of a Grand National steeplechase race that it won despite sustaining the serious injury. It follows the death of four horses at the Cheltenham Festival last month — including one after the prestigious Gold Cup. Gold Dancer was competing in the Mildmay Novices’ Chase during Ladies Day at Aintree’s Grand National Festival. The horse managed to cross the finish line approximately four lengths ahead of runner-up Regent’s Stroll. “The winner of our second race of the day, Gold Dancer, was pulled up after
Taiwanese gymnast Tang Chia-hung on Sunday topped the men’s horizontal bar event at the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) World Cup in Osijek, Croatia, scoring 15.233 to take his third title this season. Tang delivered an outstanding performance in the final, earning a difficulty score of 6.500 and an execution score of 8.633 with a 0.1 stick bonus. His closest competitor was Milad Karimi of Kazakhstan, who finished second with 14.933 points. It was Tang’s third gold medal in the FIG World Cup series this year, following his horizontal bar wins in Azerbaijan on March 8, and in Turkey on March
The Daredevils yesterday took eight catches in the final as they eked out a victory in the Taiwan Cricket Triangular Tournament against PCCT at Yingfeng Cricket Ground in Taipei’s Songshan District. PCCT’s batting lineup collapsed after they asked the Daredevils to bowl in the T20 decider of the weekend tournament that also involved the Formosa Cricket Club. PCCT were bundled out for 76 in 16.2 overs against a disciplined Daredevils attack. Ninad Malwade was the top scorer in the innings with 21, but he was among those who offered chances to the fielders. Shane Ferreira and Jason Cameron took three wickets each, with
This year’s Taiwan Athletics Open, which offers Taiwanese athletes an opportunity to compete against their international peers, would be held under a new name after its organizers had earlier announced the event’s cancelation. In a statement issued yesterday, the Chinese Taipei Athletics Association said the competition would still take place on June 6-7 at Banciao Stadium, but under the name “New Taipei City Athletics Open 2026.” The event was given a new name to emphasize its local identity and conform with the international practice of naming World Athletics Tour events after cities, the association said. It said it would soon
RSS