Nigeria close in on last eight
2006-01-28 07:53
Cairo - Two-time African Nations Cup winners Nigeria moved closer to the last eight on Friday after beating Zimabwe 2-0 in their Group D clash.
However while Zimbabwe will be going home after the last match, World Cup finals debutants Ghana ensured a nervy final round of matches for them and Senegal as they beat the 2002 finalists 1-0 in an ill-tempered match that saw both sides finish with 10 men.
With Ghana due to round off the group stage against pointless and goalless Zimbabwe the odds are on them progressing at the expense of Senegal, who play Nigeria.
Senegal and Ghana have three points each after two rounds with the 'Teranga Lions' enjoying a marginally better goal difference.
The Super Eagles may have missed out on the World Cup finals but they, like fellow absentees Cameroon, have shown a clean pair of heels to their opponents so far and they made no mistake with Zimbabwe.
The Zimbabweans did create chances with Portsmouth's Benjani looking sharp but they finally cracked twice in four minutes in the second-half.
First Udinese's Christian Obodo rose above the defence to head home a corner and then on the hour mark substitute and highly rated teenager John Obi Mikel scored with a shot from the edge of the area to show why Manchester United and Chelsea are in a tug of war over signing him.
Nigeria coach Austin Eguavoen expressed his delight at making the last eight as his side attempt to win their first Nations Cup title since 1994, but warned Senegal they could expect no let up just because they were already through.
"I was satisfied with my team's overall performance," said Eguavoen.
"It was a tough game against Zimbabwe and I expect another tough match against Senegal. But I have a team that is focussed and capable of beating any team. We will work harder and with some luck we will achieve our targets here."
Zimbabwe coach Charles Mhlauri blamed lapses in concentration in his defence for their defeat.
Lost concentration
"We lost concentration in the defence in the second half. But against Ghana we will not lie down, we will take the game very seriously so as to take something back home," he said.
Ghana dug deep to get the win they desperately needed so as to keep their hopes alive as Borussia Dortmund striker Matthew Amoah got the only goal against Senegal.
He burst past slow-reacting defender Lamine Diatta from a long throw-in before beating Tony Sylva with a shot from an acute angle.
Ghana were far more enterprising than they had been in the 1-0 defeat by Nigeria, something which their coach Ratomir Dujkovic said had been imperative.
"We played differently from the game against Nigeria because we did not have any option but to win," he said.
"We played with more strikers but at the same time, my fullbacks did not join the attack like they did against Nigeria because we know Senegal have some quick and excellent strikers."
Senegal coach Abdoulaye Sarr said his team did not play well and will have to be at their best to beat Nigeria on Tuesday.
"Ghana were better organised. They were also highly motivated. This was not the case with my team," said Sarr.
"But we will do our best to ensure we beat Nigeria in our last game and qualify for the quarter-final."