When Siphiwe Tshabalala gloriously fired home the first goal of the World Cup it looked like we had a tournament on our hands. Unfortunately, France and Uruguay took to the pitch straight afterwards and in a heartbeat the previous match was a distant memory, I can’t remember the last time I watched a game that was so bad it hurt to watch it.

Day one pretty much set the tone for the rest of the opening matches. There has been excitement; there has been hints of brilliance. But so far the dull is outweighing the delightful, that could be down to many things – first game nerves, or it could be down to the ball which has been much complained about. A lot of passes are being over hit, the shooting so far has been so woeful it’s causing more problems for low flying aircraft than goalkeepers.

England’s Rob Green tried to shift some of the blame onto the Jabulani after his howler against the US. Green has come in for some stick from the forever fickle British press, but Captain Steven Gerrard came out and said that “the whole team is behind Rob Green”, in hindsight that would’ve been a good place to stand. On a serious note I hope Capello sticks with Green, if he drops him you may as well send him home as his confidence will be shot, and knowing our luck, Fabio will drop him then injury and suspension will lead to a recall and we’ll have a quivering wreck between the sticks. The entire furore over that incident completely covered the fact that a draw wasn’t a disaster for either side, and both should really qualify with ease.

The football so far hasn’t been up to much in the excitement stakes, but Holland, Brazil, Argentina and Germany have shown glimpses of things to come, on the flip side North Korea and Switzerland amongst others, have shown that you can get amongst the big boys, and that a shock is always on the cards.

The vuvuzela’s are set to stay, they do add to the atmosphere but you’d think that those incessantly blowing into them would take a break from time to time, if anything to clean out the massive amount of saliva that must get collected. Let someone bang a drum from time to time or maybe even have a bit of a sing song. That swarming drone wears thin over ninety minutes. The vuvuzela’s were given a stay of execution but thirty-six Dutch girls in matching dresses were not, they were ejected during Mondays match between Holland and Denmark as the dresses in question were part of a gift pack from a brewery, in an act of “Ambush Marketing”. It was a good spot to notice identical Orange outfits in amongst the thousands of Dutch fans. The real plus side in this story is that ITV viewers no longer have to listen to Robbie Earle’s less than lame attempts at punditry, as it was Earle’s ticket allocation that got the Orange ladies into the ground. All we need now is a similar plot to remove Andy Townsend and ITV may become mildly watchable again.

In a short while all eyes will once again be on hosts South Africa as they take on Uruguay. Three points for Bafana Bafana would boost their chances of making the last sixteen. Whatever the result let’s hope that this is the game that proves a catalyst for the rest of the competition.

As the first weekend of World Cup action draws to a close, the tournament has proven itself to be thoroughly captivating.  While the South African, USA and Ghana teams may have created the most unforeseen results with the ball at their feet, there have been some tremendously positive surprises apart from the players and teams.  Chief among them are-

A simply fabulous job by ESPN and ABC.  Four years ago there was visible anger among the US soccer community at the way ESPN and ABC produced their World Cup coverage – poor announcers, lousy in-studio talent and a purely amateurish approach to covering the world’s greatest sporting event.  This year’s coverage is a sea-change.  The in-studio talent has been made up of some of the most famous and insightful commentators on the soccer scene.  Among the best have been Ruud Gullit, Jurgen Klinsman, the eminently likable Steve McManaman and the surprisingly insightful Roberto Martinez.  Combined with Alexi Lalas and Bob Ley, they have been outstanding.  Furthermore, the play-by-play teams have been terrifically engaging, and in the US-England game the Martin Tyler and John Harkes partnership went surprisingly well.   The camera angles and graphic analysis has been great, and the entire production has walked that fine line of explaining the game to novices and giving great insights to aficionados.  Any fans expecting more from ABC/ESPN are just looking for reasons to take offense.

The referees have been spot-on.  Soccer is the toughest sport to referee in real time and the easiest to referee in slow motion.  In real time, the pitch is gigantic, the action is end-to-end, and the difference between fair and foul is made up of inches and fractions of a second.  Nevertheless, the referees have gotten everything exactly right so far.  From the disallowed Mexican goal for offside despite the defender on the goal line to the Serbian handball to the two red cards that have been handed out so far, everything has been on the money.  In the US-England game in particular, the Brazilian referee who had a reputation for sending players off waived just enough yellow to not interfere in the flow of the game but to make sure nothing got out of hand.  At some point in this tournament, the law of averages dictates that there will be a horrible, impactful mistake by a referee, but so far there can be no complaints.

FIFA and the South African organizers have done a special job.  When the World Cup was awarded to South Africa, many people raised an alarm.  They thought this was a politically correct decision and that South Africa had neither the stadia nor the resources to put on a tournament of this magnitude.  Now that the games are here, the entire affair has been virtually flawless.  The stadia are beautiful and Johannesburg’s Soccer City is simply a marvel.  The pitches have been perfect (how can you have perfect pitches in South Africa in winter and yet Wembley still looks like a motocross track?), and the fans have been as joyous and positive as you could ever hope.  Even the World Cup concert was great.  The entire scene looks glorious, and credit has to go where it is deserved – the excellent South African organizing committee and the team at FIFA who advised, guided, and effectively cajoled them towards success. 

I am sure that there will be events worthy of complaint at some point during this World Cup.  However, so far the entire operation has been as smooth and enjoyable as one could ever hope.

Drogba Out - Big Blow to Africa

The 2010 World Cup created quite a lot of excitement, mainly due to the fact it was the first World Cup to be hosted in the continent of Africa, and the most suitable venue was South Africa, due to it having a rather strong economy. There are always hiccups in the process, and the odd scare thrown out by the media in order to sell a few papers, but in terms of building the stadiums, promoting the tournament and creating an exciting atmosphere, South Africa has done itself proud and with one week to go, we are ready for the World Cup. This cup is unofficially billed as Africa 2010, as many people see this as a chance for the whole of Africa to get involved and show how much they love football. Yet a number of stories are starting to appear that are taking the shine off an African World Cup, and many problems are coming out that appear to be diminishing the excitement from the African nations themselves:

Essien and Drogba – out:

News has just broken that Didier Drogba has become a real doubt for the World Cup after fracturing his arm in a warm up match with Japan. This is a terrible shame for many fans of football, as truth be told, if you had to chose another nation to win the World Cup rather than your own this summer, you’d like to see an African nation lift the trophy, and Ivory Coast probably stood the best chance of any of this years African competitors. Drogba is a World Class player and not only the Star of Ivory Coast, but one of Africa’s best players in general. Add this to Michael Essien’s unfortunate absence and this really takes a shine off how great African football has become in the past several decades. Essien is a huge star in Africa and many saw him as the player to lead the way for the African countries at South Africa, but without him at the tournament it takes a lot of the excitement surrounding African Nation’s chances at this World Cup. There is one major hitter still going with the African Nations…

Samuel Eto’o Spits His Dummy Out:

…If he wants to. Samuel Eto’o has bizarrely claimed, days before the final squad announcements, that he “doesn’t need to go to the World Cup” and made a threat to withdraw himself from consideration after Roger Milla was critical of his performances for his country. Truth be told, there is no way Eto’o would really withdraw from this World Cup in particular, no matter how big his ego is, he has a chance to shine in the continent of Africa and represent his country at one of the greatest sporting tournaments in the world. I don’t care if the Prime Minister and the Queen were critical of my performances, I’d still put on a shirt for England at a World Cup if they asked me to go. Eto’o has just reacted in the worst manner possible, and now there is probably a divide in Cameroon over whether they side with their long time hero Milla, or Eto’o who will spearhead their attack at this World Cup. Thank god he is going though, without Drogba and Essien, this World Cup needs Eto’o. I’m not saying there aren’t amazing players in Africa, just that they’re the big three really for this summer.

Neutrals and Contest Winners Set To Support The Africans:

This is absolutely ludicrous and one of those situations where money should be no issue. South Africa will have a vibrant and lively support no doubt, as Fifa was keen for even the poorest to get a chance to see their country player this summer by offering a number of schemes in which money accumulated so they could afford the ticket. Fifa did not however decide to consider that this situation might be the same beyond the borders of South Africa, as at this point, the other five African Nations have, in total, 40,000 supporters going to this World Cup. That’s less than 10,000 supporters per nation, and that doesn’t mean to say that this will be balanced out evenly. I love the African supporters, they love to dance and don’t stop cheering for the whole 90 minutes. I remember at the Confederations Cup, one South African supporter had a pair of big glasses and an Oxford’s English dictionary in his hand! What’s all that about? I don’t know but I love it! So what should be the most accessible World Cup to some of the poorest nations in the world will instead see fewer people travelling to South Africa from some of the nations that truly matter this summer. I only hope there is a big surprise when we actually get to the African games that are not South Africa, and we have a sea of fantastic supporters singing their hearts out.

Is It Going To Be Trouble?

Many people are quite worried about a number of issues this summer regarding this particular World Cup. The USA doesn’t just bring a large contingent of travelling support, but also a wariness of terrorist threats, particularly in the game against England. It’s true that South Africa is hugely different from Germany, Japan, South Korea and France who have hosted the most recent World Cup’s and the divide between economic classes has lead to a number of social and criminal problems in the nation. There is a chance of trouble at any major football event, and South Africa have spent a lot of money on preparing their police efforts for this tournament, and I would say that we’re unlikely to experience anything major at this tournament. South Africa has tried to promote the feel good and party attitude of the South African people, and I think that many of the visiting nations will fall into this and have a good time. But the problem still remains – yes – there will be crime at this tournament as there is at many major events, but it depends largely on how under control the South African police can keep it under control. I really hope that after this tournament we’re not all talking about major crime at the tournament as the World Cup brings a lot of positive social and economic benefits with it that African Nations could really benefit from. I know football will be the focus, but that lingering thought in the back of my mind that says something will go wrong would be a disaster for African football.

The home continent of the 2010 World Cup is close to having its 5 qualifying sides defined for The Great Tournament. The 1st team to officially qualify is Ghana. The Black Stars defeated Sudan 2-0 at home to secure top spot in Group D. Goals by Inter midfielder Sulley Muntari & Chelsea midfielder Michael Essien sealed the victory. Ghana have yet to give up a goal in the final group stage of WC qualifying.

Côte d’Ivoire moved closer to securing qualification for 2010 with their 5-0 home destruction of Burkina Faso at Stade Felix Houphouet-Boigny. Chelsea hitman Didier Drogba scored twice as Les Éléphants maintained their perfect record in Group E. Côte d’Ivoire only need a draw in their next match against Malawi to officially qualify for The Great Tournament.

Cameroon moved to the top of Group A with back to back wins against surprise side Gabon. On Saturday, Cameroon defeated Gabon 2-0 on the road in Libreville and then 4 days later toppled Gabon 2-1 at home in Yaounde. Inter Milan goal assassin Samuel Eto’o scored in both matches to see the Indomitable Lions better position themselves for the World Cup.

Continental powers Egypt & Nigeria are facing an uphill drive for qualification in their respective groups. African champions Egypt beat Rwanda 1-0 on the road, a late 2nd half goal by Al-Ahly midfielder Ahmed Hassan secured the 3 points. The Pharaohs still trail Group C leaders Algeria by 3 points with 2 matches remaining.

Nigeria drew 2-2 at home against Group B leaders Tunisia. The share of points was a big blow to the Super Eagles who trail Tunisia by 2 points in Group B, Nigeria have only 1 win in the final group stage of qualifying. Tunisia’s #10 Oussama Darragi scored in the 89th minute to keep The Eagles of Carthage in 1st place and hand Nigeria its 3rd draw of final stage qualification.

Here are the results and standings from African WCQ:

GROUP A STANDINGS

SATURDAY, SEPT. 5

Gabon 0 – 2 Cameroon
CAM: Achille Emana (66′) & Samuel Eto’o (68′)

SUNDAY, SEPT. 6

Togo 1 – 1 Morocco
TOG: Moustapha Salifou (4′)
MOR: Adel Taarabt (90′+2′)

WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 9

Cameroon 2 – 1 Gabon
CAM: Jean Makoun (25′) & Samuel Eto’o (64′)
GAB: Daniel Cousin (90′)

GROUP B STANDINGS

SUNDAY, SEPT. 6

Mozambique 1 – 0 Kenya
MOZ: Tico-Tico (67′)

Nigeria 2 – 2 Tunisia
NIG: Peter Odemwingie (23′) & Michael Eneramo (80′)
TUN: Sliti Nabil (24′) & Oussama Darragi (89′)

GROUP C STANDINGS


SATURDAY, SEPT. 5

Rwanda 0 – 1 Egypt
EGY: Ahmed Hassan (68′)

SUNDAY, SEPT. 6

Algeria 1 – 0 Zambia
ALG: Rafik Saifi (59′)

GROUP D STANDINGS

SUNDAY, SEPT. 6

Benin 1 – 1 Mali
BEN: Mohamed Aoudou (87′)
MAL: Mahamadou Samassa (72′)

Ghana 2 – 0 Sudan
GHA: Sulley Muntari (14′) & Michael Essien (52′)

GROUP E STANDINGS


SATURDAY, SEPT. 5

Malawi 2 – 1 Guinea
MAL: Chiukepo Msowoya (46′, 59′)
GUI: Oumar Kalabane (37′)

Côte d’Ivoire 5 – 0 Burkina Faso
CIV: Saidou Panandetiguiri (og 9′), Drogba (48′, 64′), Yaya Toure (54′), Keita (68′)

African World Cup qualifying is halfway to its conclusion as the Motherland continues to give the footballing world more to talk about as this round of matches ranged from the hardly interesting 0-0 draws like Morocco v Togo to 5 goal thrilers like Burkina Faso v Côte d’Ivoire. Interestingly, the visiting team took at least 1 point in all but 3 matches this weekend.

The match between Burkina Faso & Côte d’Ivoire was a battle for top spot in Group E with Les Éléphants being massively tested by a surprising Burkina Faso side. Goals by European stars Yaya Toure & Didier Drogba did not decide the match but an own goal by Burkina defender Mamadou Tall gave Côte d’Ivoire the 3-2 road win as Les Éléphants continued their perfect start in World Cup qualifying.

Algeria moved to the top of Group C with their big 2-0 road win against Zambia. Rangers’ defender Madjid Bougherra opened the scoring in the 21st minute as The Desert Foxes kept the clean sheet and remained unbeaten in Group C. Algeria look to be the favorite to win Group C as they are unbeaten in their last 6 WC Qualifiers.

On Sunday, Mali got its 1st win of the final group stage with a 3-1 home win in the capital city of Bamako against Benin. The Eagles’ French Connection of Modibo Maïga of Le Mans and Mamadou Diallo of Le Havre led Mali to victory with goals in the 21st and 75th minute respectively after Benin stunned the crowd with a 12th minute goal by Bahrain based midfielder Seidath Tchomogo. Mali’s victory moves them into 2nd place behind Ghana in Group D.

Here are the results & standings:

STANDINGS

SATURDAY, JUNE 20th
Morocco 0 – 0 Togo

STANDINGS

SATURDAY, JUNE 20th
Kenya 2 – 1 Mozambique
KEN: Julius Owino (5′) & Macdonald Mariaga (pen 76′)
MOZ: Domingues (49′)

Tunisia 0 – 0 Nigeria

STANDINGS

SATURDAY, JUNE 20th
Zambia 0 – 2 Algeria
ALG: Madjid Bougherra (21′) & Rafik Saifi (66′)

STANDINGS

SATURDAY, JUNE 20th
Sudan 0 – 2 Ghana
GHA: Matthew Amoah (5′, 52′)

SUNDAY, JUNE 21st
Mali 3 – 1 Benin
MLI: Modibo Maiga (21′), Mamadou Diallo (75′), Frédéric Kanouté (83′)
BEN: Seidath Tchomogo (12′)

STANDINGS

SATURDAY, JUNE 20th
Burkina Faso 2 – 3 Côte d’Ivoire
BFO: Jonathan Pitroipa (27′), Aristide Bance (78′)
CIV: Yaya Toure (13′), Mamadou Tall (og 55′), Didier Drogba (70′)

SUNDAY, JUNE 21st
Guinea 2 – 1 Malawi
GUI: Pascal Feindouno (24′, 42′)
MWI: Chiukepo Msowoya (89′)

This edition of the World Cup Buzz Top 5 will breakdown the Top 5 Things Observed From The June World Cup Qualifying Matches. Let’s begin with CONCACAF’s best team.

COSTA RICA IS THE BEST IN CONCACAF

Los Ticos have established themselves as the best team in CONCACAF after their impressive displays against the United States and Trinidad & Tobago. Costa Rica has lost only once in this cycle of CONCACAF World Cup qualifying. In 13 WCQ matches, Los Ticos have lost once a 2-0 loss to Mexico at Estadio Azteca and drawn once a 2-2 result on the road in Grenada in a 2nd round 1st leg match. Rodrigo Kenton has done a masterful job steering Costa Rica to a highly likely spot in South Africa 2010. Los Ticos are a perfect 7-0-0 at the Estadio Saprissa in San Jose. Saprissa is now the most intimidating home field advantage in CONCACAF.

GABON IS FOR REAL

The West African nation through which the Equator runs through has become the big story in African World Cup Qualifying. The Azingo Nationale is coached by former French international Alain Giresse whose experience as part of “The Magic Square” of France’s national teams in the 80s has been essential in Gabon’s run to the top of Group A. In 8 matches of African WC Qualifying, Gabon has only lost twice and are currently riding a 5 game winning streak. Gabon have been riding the talents of all-time goal scorer Hull City striker Daniel Cousin, leading scorer in qualifying Ankaraspor striker Roguy Méyé and the Aubameyang brothers: Catilina, Pierre-Emerick, and Willy. All 3 were products of AC Milan’s scouting system with Pierre-Emerick & Willy still property of Il Rossoneri.

CONMEBOL’S PLAYOFF SPOT DUEL
VS.
After these past two rounds of CONMEBOL WC qualifying, it looks like the last playoff spot will come down to Ecuador versus Uruguay. Ecuador earned the max of 6 points over the past two rounds and it vaulted them into 5th place. Uruguay only got 1 point over the last two matches and fell 2 points behind Ecuador to 6th place. Colombia and Venezuela are tied for 7th place, 1 point behind Uruguay but Colombia does not score enough goals and Venezuela gives up too many goals to hold up. Ecuador seems to be regaining the form that has seen them qualify for the previous two World Cups and Uruguay has an explosive offense that can score goals quickly and in bunches. Ecuador hosts Uruguay in the next to last round of qualifying in a match that could determine who will face the CONCACAF 4th place team in a playoff.

SHOWDOWN IN ASIA
VS.
3 of the 4 automatic spots for South Africa 2010 from Asia have already been finalized. Only 1 spot remains and thankfully the schedule makers have set up massive drama on the final day of matches. In Group 2, 3rd place Saudi Arabia hosts 2nd place Korea DPR with the winner of the match going to South Africa. Korea DPR aka North Korea is looking to qualify for the 1st time since 1966 while Saudi Arabia goes for its 5th straight appearance. The loser could even lose out on the playoff spot if Iran defeats already qualified South Korea in their final WC Qualifying match. WHEW! Asia offering up some MASSIVE drama.

TRADITIONAL POWERS IN TROUBLE

3 traditional powers of their continents have their fans and citizens praying for some intervention to secure a place in South Africa 2010. Mexico sits in 4th place in CONCACAF and their form has been spotty at best. El Tri is not the lock to qualify from CONCACAF like the footballing world is used to. The Mexicans will have to show a lot more heart than in previous qualifying runs in order to get to The Great Tournament.

Maradona’s appointment as Argentina’s head coach was supposed to minimize the stress in qualifying from CONMEBOL but his tactical shortcomings are being exposed. Los Albicelestes haven’t been able to string wins together and have been embarrassed on the road allowing 10 goals in their last 4 road matches notching only 1 point in that stretch. They sit in the last automatic spot just 2 points ahead 5th place Ecuador.

Portugal’s troubles in Group 1 of European qualifying were eased a bit when they barely scraped by Albania 2-1 on the road. Bruno Alves’ 2nd half injury time goal kept Portugal breathing but the fact that they had to get a late goal to beat Albania shows that Portugal is overrated. They sit in 3rd place a full 4 points behind 2nd place Hungary with each having 4 matches remaining. Of the 3 mentioned continental powers, Portugal is in the greatest jeopardy of missing South Africa 2010.

Alright there it is the World Cup Buzz Top 5 for the June World Cup qualifiers. Post a comment and let us know what you think.

The African continent is still in the early stages of World Cup qualifying and its looking like Africa will continue to surprise the footballing world. Gabon continued its perfect start to qualifying with their 3-0 home win over Togo. Turkish based striker Roguy Meye scored his 2nd goal in as many games in the final group stage as the Azingo Nationale lead Group A. In the other Group A match, Thomas N’Kono’s 1st match in charge of Cameroon ended in a disappointing 0-0 home draw against Morocco. The legendary goalkeeper’s coaching debut wasn’t enough keep the Indomitable Lions off the bottom of Group A.

The current African champions, Egypt continue their struggles in qualifying after their 3-1 road loss to Algeria. The Pharoahs were finished by 3 goals in a 17 minute stretch in the 2nd half as Algeria moved to the top of Group C while Egypt sits in last place.

Nigeria bounced back from a disappointing opening game to take down Kenya at home 3-0. Inter Milan striker Victor Obinna scored twice in the 73rd & 77th minutes to seal The Super Eagles win. Nigeria moved into 2nd place in Group B behind Tunisia who remained perfect after their 2-0 home win against Mozambique.

Two other continental powers continued their perfect starts in the final stage of African qualifying. Ghana defeated Mali 2-0 on the road in Bamako with Udinese striker Kwadwo Asamoah scoring the game winner in the 66th minute as The Black Stars have not allowed a goal in taking the lead in Group D. Another African power, Côte d’Ivoire leads Group E after their 2-1 road win against Guinea. In a back & forth affair Sevilla midfielder Romaric scored the 3 point clinching goal in the 72nd minute.

Here are the results & standings after this round:

GROUP A STANDINGS

Sat. June 6th
Gabon 3 – 0 Togo
GAB: Bruno Ecuele (11′), Roguy Meye (56′), Moise Brou (83′)

Sun. June 7th
Cameroon 0 – 0 Morocco

GROUP B STANDINGS

Sat. June 6th
Tunisia 2 – 0 Mozambique
TUN: Ouissen Ben Yahia (pen 21′) & Oussama Darragi (90′+1′)

Sun. June 7th
Nigeria 3 – 0 Kenya
NIG: Ikechukwu Uche (2′) & Victor Obinna (pen 73′& 77′)

GROUP C STANDINGS

Sat. June 6th
Zambia 1 – 0 Rwanda
ZAM: Rainford Kalaba (79′)

Sun. June 7th
Algeria 3 – 1 Egypt
ALG: Karim Matmour (60′), Abdelkader Ghezzal (64′), Rafik Djebbour (77′)
EGY: Mohamed Aboutrika (87′)

GROUP D STANDINGS

Sun. June 7th
Benin 1 – 0 Sudan
BEN: Razak Omotoyossi (19′)

Mali 0 – 2 Ghana
GHA: Kwadwo Asamoah (67′) & Matthew Amoah (79′)

GROUP E STANDINGS

Sat. June 6th
Malawi 0 – 1 Burkina Faso
BFA: Moumouni Dagano (70′)

Sun. June 7th
Guinea 1 – 2 Côte d’Ivoire
GUI: Sambegou Bangoura (65′)
CIV: Bakary Kone (45′) & Romaric (72′)

The African continent was in full grip of World Cup qualifying fever as the opening round of matches in the final stage of qualifiers began.  In 2006 World Cup qualifying, Africa witnessed a changing of the guard with 4 new teams making their 1st appearance in The Great Tournament and according to the results from the weekend, it might be changing again.

In Group A, Gabon stunned Morocco with a big 2-1 win in Casablanca.  Azingo Nationale got 1st half goals from teenage sensation Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Roguy Meye to get the 3 points and get off to a great start with a crucial road win. The other Group A contest saw Togo defeat Cameroon 1-0 as African Footballer of the Year, Emmanuel Adebayor scored in his return to the Sparrow Hawks from injury.  The Arsenal forward scored in the 10th minute but showed some rust when he missed a PK in the 76th minute. Despite playing in Ghana due to a home ban, Togo got the 3 points and now share the top spot with Gabon in Group A.

A couple of traditional superpowers were humbled by disappointing draws.  The 2-time defending African Cup of Nations champions Egypt were held to a 1-1 draw at home versus Zambia in a Group C match.  Francis Kasonde’s goal in the 56th minute turned out to be the point salvaging goal.  In Maputo,Nigeria’s Super Eagles were held to a 0-0 road draw against Mozambique in a Group B encounter. The draw ended Nigeria’s 6 game qualifying winning streak.

Group E was loaded with goals and marred by tragedy.  Burkina Faso beat Guinea 4-2 in the Burkina Faso capital city of Ouagadougou.  Al-Khor striker Moumouni Dagano scored twice to lead The Stallions to the victory.  The other Group E match was an ass whippin as Cote D’Ivoire embarassed Malawi 5-0.  The Chelsea duo of Didier Drogba & Salomon Kalou accounted for 3 of the 5 goals with Drogba scoring twice.  The match result was stained by the tragedy of a deadly stampede at Abidjan’s Felix Houphouet-Boigny stadium. A terrible stampede killed 19 people and injured 132 others.

The tragedy occurred before the start of the match when fans began pushing and shoving trying to get into the stadium.  According to witness accounts, fans without tickets tried to get into the stadium when police fired tear gas into the crowd, setting off the deadly stampede. The push of fans against a stadium wall caused it to collapse.  Authorities are investigating the tragedy, it would be the fourth time since 2001 that police firing tear gas into a crowd set off a deadly stampede at a stadium in Africa before a match.

Here are the results from the opening round of the final stage of African qualifying:

GROUP A
Togo 1 – 0 Cameroon
TOG: Adebayor (11′)

Morocco 1 – 2 Gabon
MOR: Mounir El Hamdaoui (84′)
GAB: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (34′) & Roguy Meye (45′)

Group A Standings

GROUP B
Mozambique 0 – 0 Nigeria

Kenya 1 – 2 Tunisia
KEN: Dennis Oliech (70′)
TUN: Ammar Jemal (5′) & Issam Jomaa (72′)

Group B Standings

GROUP C
Rwanda 0 – 0 Algeria

Egypt 1 – 1 Zambia
EGY: Amr Zaki (26′)
ZAM: Francis Kasonde (56′)

Group C Standings

GROUP D
Sudan 1 – 1 Mali
SUD: Mudathir El Tahir (24′)
MAL: Frederic Kanouté (19′)

Ghana 1 – 0 Benin
GHA: Prince Tagoe (1′)

Group D Standings

GROUP E
Burkina Faso 4 – 2 Guinea
BFO: Mahamoudou Kere (23′), Alain Traore (29′), Moumouni Dagano (pen 53′ & 66′)
GUI: Pascal Feindouno (pen 61′) & Kamil Zayatte (pen 86′)

Cote D’ Ivoire 5 – 0 Malawi
CDI: Ndri Romaric (1′), Didier Drogba (pen 7′ & 28′), Salomon Kalou (59′), Bakari Kone (71′)

Group E Standings

With the World Cup being held in Africa, it will be the perfect time for Africa’s national teams to showcase their extraordinary talents. These upcoming matches will be the opening round of the final stage of African qualifiers and the big question is: Will there be a repeat of 2006 when 4 African countries made their 1st appearance in The Great Tournament?

20 nations will begin their quest on March 28th to join South Africa in The Great Tournament also at stake is a place in the 2010 African Cup of Nations in Angola. The Top 3 finishers in each group will qualify for the 2010 African Cup of Nations.

The marquee matchup is in Group A as Togo host Cameroon.  Togo will be the home side although the match will be played in the Ghanian capital of Accra.  Togo is serving a home ban so it really is a neutral site game.  This game features an enticing matchup of two African Players of the Year. Togo’s Emmanuel Adebayor vs. Cameroon’s Samuel Eto’o.  Adebayor, the 2008 African Player of the Year for Arsenal will play after recovering from a thigh injury while 3-time African POY Samuel Eto’o is in devastating form for Barcelona. Don’t be surprised if there are a lot of goals scored in the game, it should be fun to watch.

Two teams to watch are Egypt & Mali.  Egypt are the back to back African champions and have the best club side in Africa in Al-Ahly and yet The Pharoahs have only qualified twice for the World Cup, last time was Italy 1990.  Egypt has the talent and organization to win a shorter tourney like the African Cup of Nations but can they sustain the excellence needed to qualify for the World Cup.

Mali have never qualified for a World Cup, this could be the year they do. There is Malian talent spread all over Europe with names like Real Madrid’s Mahamadou Diarra, Barcelona’s Seydou Keita, Sevilla’s Frederic Kanoute, and Juventus’ Mohammed Sissoko.  The Eagles are coached by former Nigerian international Stephen Keshi who led Togo to its 1st WC appearance in 2006.  The Malians are hoping that their talent & Keshi’s magic can take them to South Africa, however Mali are in a fight being in the same group as heavily favored Ghana. 

Here are the groups and their matches – home teams are listed first – team nicknames are in parenthesis:

GROUP A – CAMEROON, GABON, MOROCCO, TOGO
Saturday, March 28
In Accra, Ghana – Togo (The Sparrow Hawks) vs. Cameroon (Indomitable Lions)
Morocco (Lions of the Atlas) vs. Gabon (Azingo Nationale)

GROUP B – KENYA, MOZAMBIQUE, NIGERIA, TUNISIA
Saturday, March 28
Kenya (Harambee Stars) vs. Tunisia (The Eagles of Carthage)

Sunday, March 29
Mozambique (The Mambas) vs. Nigeria (Super Eagles)

GROUP C – ALGERIA, EGYPT, RWANDA, ZAMBIA
Saturday, March 28
Rwanda (Amavubis) vs. Algeria (The Desert Foxes)

Sunday, March 29
Egypt (The Pharaohs) vs. Zambia (Chipolopolo)

GROUP D – BENIN, GHANA, MALI, SUDAN
Saturday, March 28
Sudan (The Desert Hawks) vs. Mali (The Eagles)

Sunday, March 29
Ghana (The Black Stars) vs. Benin (The Squirrels)

GROUP E – BURKINA FASO, COTE D’IVOIRE, GUINEA, MALAWI
Saturday, March 28
Burkina Faso (The Stallions) vs. Guinea (Syli Nationale)

Sunday, March 29
Côte d’Ivoire (Les Éléphants) vs. Malawi (The Flames)

With World Cup Qualifiers coming up in the next couple of weeks, its time for another Top 5 here on The Buzz.  These are the Top 5 things to watch for as teams compete to solidify their place for The Great Tournament in 2010 on The Motherland:

#1 – Maradona Starts To Feel Albiceleste Heat

El Pibe De Oro’s time as coach of the Argentine National Team really starts with upcoming South American World Cup qualifiers. Two friendly match victories over Scotland & France are well and good but he wasn’t hired to win friendlies. Maradona’s true abilities as a coach and personality manager will be put to the test when he leads Los Albicelestes versus Venezuela at home on March 28 and then on the road in the high altitude of La Paz against Bolivia on April 1st. If Maradona can break Argentina out of their disappointing form in qualifying then he will further elevate his place in world football lore.

#2 – What Will Africa Have In Store?

The Motherland will host The 2010 Great Tournament, in years past The World Cup has witnessed fresh faces in national team football most of them coming from Africa. The 2006 World Cup saw 8 teams qualify for the 1st time, 4 of them from Africa (Cote D’ Ivoire, Ghana, Togo, and Angola). This year, with teams like Gabon, Malawi, Guinea, and Burkina Faso surprisingly advancing to the final group stage and a Group of Death (Group 1) featuring Cameroon, Togo, Morocco, and Gabon. It is likely that the 2010 World Cup will see another 1st timer from Africa.

#3 – What Will Become Of Portugal?

The Portuguese National Team has given their countrymen nothing to cheer about lately as they have been thoroughly disappointing so far in World Cup qualifying. They sit in 4th place in Group 1 of UEFA qualifying behind Denmark, Hungary, and Albania. An unacceptable position for a team boasting talents like Deco, Pepe, and FIFA Player Of The Year, Cristiano Ronaldo. They have not scored a goal in their last 2 qualifying matches including a 0-0 home draw versus Albania. ALBANIA, that’s ridiculous, other than France’s Raymond Domenech is their a coach whose seat is hotter in Europe than Carlos Queiroz? Portugal face a struggling but always tough Sweden side in the upcoming qualifiers, while its not over for Portugal they need to win for their confidence and table positioning cause its obvious that getting points against group leaders Denmark & Hungary will be difficult.

#4 – Australia & Japan Could Begin To Pack

After this next round of qualifiers it is possible that Asia could have 2 of its automatic 4 spots filled for 2010. In Group 1, Australia and Japan are undefeated with Australia in 1st with 10 points and Japan in 2nd with 8 as Bahrain & Qatar follow with 4 points. Both Japan & Australia play at home this round with the Aussies taking on last place Uzbekistan and Japan facing Bahrain. There is an excellent chance that both teams will win making the gap between themselves and the bottom 3 even wider. Considering talent, form, and table position, Australia & Japan can pack their bags for South Africa if they win.

#5 – Can Costa Rica Give Sven A Bigger Headache?

In 2002 World Cup qualifying, Costa Rica pulled off the impossible by beating Mexico at Estadio Azteca. It was the only time that Mexico lost a World Cup qualifier at the Azteca. This time in 2010 WC Qualifiers, Los Ticos could really put El Tri in a bad spot if they can duplicate that same performance. Mexico’s coach Sven Goran Eriksson has been under fire since his hiring and every result has been intensely scrutinized. Mexico has not been impressive in reaching CONCACAF’s last six and many feel that if there is a year that Mexico could be knocked off their place as one of CONCACAF’s automatic representatives, it is this year. If Costa Rica can win once again at The Azteca, the pain Sven has been feeling in his head will transfer to his ass as the FMF kicks him off the bench.