Africa Cup of Nations - blog

The knock-on effect of being lost in Lubango

by Paul Myers

Article published on the 2010-01-28 Latest update 2010-01-28 14:33 TU

Hassan, captain of Egypt
(Photo: Reuters)

It’s semi finals day at the Africa Cup of Nations. This should mean another foray into the weird and wacky world of ‘pundit Paul’. But you know what? I’m so exhausted by the day of inertia at Lubango airport on Tuesday that I feel nothing.

No literary imperatives. Nothing.

Wednesday was a mess. I spent the day recovering. It struck me as odd that I’d be so tired, having spent a whole day waiting.

But perhaps all my energy went into keeping cool, calm and collected at the airport. Perhaps I will be reinvigorated by the Nigeria v Ghana semi-final on Thursday afternoon.

That’s a high hope. Nigeria played glum football during the match against Zambia in Lubango on Monday. But they got the win.

The Nigeria striker Peter Odemwinge said at the team’s final training session on Wednesday in Luanda that Nigerians have this view of their football as flash and flowery.

If the first 11 isn’t playing that way then they’re useless and the coach should be sacked.

I would submit that it is going to be rare to have players who can do this and win. Besides most of them ply their trade in Europe where that kind of thing is usually frowned upon.

The flair players have always been a difficult commodity. How can their extravagance be incorporated into the collective? That has always been the dilemma for coaches.

Creative types usually need a good defensive line just in case that visionary pass doesn’t quite reach its target.

One of my French colleagues was remembering the days of Zinedine Zidane and said the French defence consisted of Lilian Thuram on the right, Marcel Desailly and Laurent Blanc in the centre and Bixente Lizarazu on the left.

And Fabien Barthez was behind those four. No wonder Zidane could parade his brilliance.

There’s been no one at this tournament approaching the spectacle that was Zidane. Only the Egypt skipper Ahmed Hassan comes close. The way he pulls the strings for his side is marvelous.

Algeria managed to neutralise him when they beat Egypt 1- 0 in Sudan in November in the world cup play off.

Egypt are out to avenge that defeat. Nigeria are out to undo the wrong that was done two years ago in the quarter final in Accra when the 10 men of Ghana overcame the 11 of Nigeria.

I was there in Accra and the Nigerians who passed through the mixed zone after the match wore the hollow faces of men who knew they would be haunted.

Nine of the Nigeria squad were there in Accra and on Thursday they’ve got a chance to banish those memories. A place in the final is the prize.

I’m marking Thursday down as the day for vengeance. It’s the easy option I know but since the difficulties at Lubango airport on Tuesday, simplicity is all I crave.