CAN Orange 2010 / Semi Finals : Two derbys

Ghana-Nigeria: les Black Stars in an ambush

Nigeria qualified for the twelfth time, a continental record. However, The Super Eagles have not been very convincing so far. Nigerian coach, Shaibu Amodu, is still waiting for The Super Eagles to play their reference match. Swept aside by Egypt on the first day (1-3), The Super Eagles were not very impressive in their victory against Benin (1-0) and Mozambique (3-0). And it did not really deserve to win against Zambia in the quarterfinal. Nigeria wasn't very offensive in this decisive match. It seemed like Peter Odemwingie's teammates could have played for hours on end without scoring a single goal. Peter Odemwingie however, has been a rather active forward since the beginning of the competition.

They will be put to the test once more in their semi final against archenemy Ghana. But this time, it should be even harder. First, because Rajevac's youthful team has already reached her objectives and therefore has nothing to lose. Second, because Asamoah Gyan's teammates probably won't attack as much as the Zambians and will wait for their rivals to come to them. They will defend more than they attack, just like in their quarterfinal against Angola.

As figures go, Ghana defeated Nigeria (2-1) in 1992, for the one and only semi final against one another. In the past thirst years, Nigeria made it to the final once every decade. She beat Morocco (1-0) in 1980, Zambia (2-0) in 1990 and South Africa in 2000. Is that a sign?


Egypt-Algeria: revenge for the final?

The semi final will be their fourth encounter in seven months. So far, Algeria is in the lead with two victories to one and with one World Cup qualification to zero. It will be an important match for both teams. If Algeria wins, it will crunch her favourite rival and would make it to her third Nations Cup final. If Egypt wins, it would help her swallow the bitter pill of his disqualification for the World Cup. Consequently, this match will be THE match of the tournament.

What is the state of play? Algeria: upward trend. After a poor first match against Malawi (0-3), Saâdane's men have improved throughout the tournament. Their match against the Ivory Coast was very promising. The Desert Foxes showed good technical abilities, a coherent game, and above all, they seem to be on top form. The full starting eleven will be playing in the semi final: Chaouchi and Ziani have recovered from their injuries, and Anthar Yahia and Meghni are up for another game.

Egypt: from better to worse. After a great match against Nigeria, they played a safe match against Gabon and Mozambique. Despite their victory against Cameroon, they started to show their weaknesses. However, given their recent history and what is at stake (both in terms of sport and non sport) both teams will set injuries, physical and technical shortcomings in order to focus on the game with an increased motivation. Last time they met in a semi final, in 1980, Algeria won (2-2, then 4 penalty shootout 2).


Fayçal Chehat