GUINEA defied the odds to reach the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations while the murder of South Africa captain Senzo Meyiwa cast a dark shadow over the qualifying competition.
Forced to switch three fixtures from Conakry to Casablanca, the Guineans defeated Uganda 2-0 at 'home' in a winner-takes-all showdown Wednesday to secure a place among 16 finalists.
Coached by Frenchman Michel Dussuyer, Guinea rely mainly on professionals scattered across Europe like Slovakia-based striker Seydouba Soumah, who struck five goals. Guinea and fellow west African states Liberia and Sierra Leone have been hardest hit by the deadly Ebola virus, which has claimed nearly 5 200 lives this year.
Goalkeeper Meyiwa kept four consecutive clean sheets to set South Africa up for a return to the biennial African football showcase after a three-tournament absence. A dramatic qualifying competition included the shock elimination of title-holders Nigeria and a third consecutive failure to reach the finals by record seven-time champions Egypt.
Cameroon are back at the Afcon after missing the last two tournaments and Algeria collected 15 points from a possible 18 to show why they are the top-ranked national team on the continent.
There was also a last-minute Ebola-related change of hosts for the January 17-February 8 football festival with football minnows Equatorial Guinea replacing Morocco.
As hosts, an Equatorial Guinea team ranked 38 among 54 African football nations automatically earn a place at the three-week Afcon.
A disastrous start that yielded just one point from matches against Congo Brazzaville, South Africa and Sudan triggered the downfall of three-time champions Nigeria.
Egypt will miss three consecutive tournaments for the first time since becoming the maiden African champions in 1957 in Khartoum.
Age has caught up with the golden 2006-2010 generation led by midfield maestro Mohamed Aboutrika that won three consecutive titles, and coach Shawky Gharib could not unearth adequate replacements.
Cameroon put a woeful 2014 World Cup in Brazil behind them with German coach Volker Finke deploying a more youthful side that finished four points ahead of star-stacked Ivory Coast in a tough group.
Algeria were the most impressive African side at the World Cup. A change of coach with Frenchman Christian Gourcuff succeeding Bosnian Vahid Halilhodzic had no effect on the Desert Foxes, who secured qualification with two games to spare.
They will be joined at the finals by Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Congo, DR Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea, Ivory Coast, Mali, Senegal, South Africa, Tunisia and Zambia. - AFP
Afcon qualifiers serve up drama
GUINEA defied the odds to reach the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations while the murder of South Africa captain Senzo Meyiwa cast a dark shadow over the qualifying competition.
Forced to switch three fixtures from Conakry to Casablanca, the Guineans defeated Uganda 2-0 at 'home' in a winner-takes-all showdown Wednesday to secure a place among 16 finalists.
Coached by Frenchman Michel Dussuyer, Guinea rely mainly on professionals scattered across Europe like Slovakia-based striker Seydouba Soumah, who struck five goals. Guinea and fellow west African states Liberia and Sierra Leone have been hardest hit by the deadly Ebola virus, which has claimed nearly 5 200 lives this year.
Goalkeeper Meyiwa kept four consecutive clean sheets to set South Africa up for a return to the biennial African football showcase after a three-tournament absence. A dramatic qualifying competition included the shock elimination of title-holders Nigeria and a third consecutive failure to reach the finals by record seven-time champions Egypt.
Cameroon are back at the Afcon after missing the last two tournaments and Algeria collected 15 points from a possible 18 to show why they are the top-ranked national team on the continent.
There was also a last-minute Ebola-related change of hosts for the January 17-February 8 football festival with football minnows Equatorial Guinea replacing Morocco.
As hosts, an Equatorial Guinea team ranked 38 among 54 African football nations automatically earn a place at the three-week Afcon.
A disastrous start that yielded just one point from matches against Congo Brazzaville, South Africa and Sudan triggered the downfall of three-time champions Nigeria.
Egypt will miss three consecutive tournaments for the first time since becoming the maiden African champions in 1957 in Khartoum.
Age has caught up with the golden 2006-2010 generation led by midfield maestro Mohamed Aboutrika that won three consecutive titles, and coach Shawky Gharib could not unearth adequate replacements.
Cameroon put a woeful 2014 World Cup in Brazil behind them with German coach Volker Finke deploying a more youthful side that finished four points ahead of star-stacked Ivory Coast in a tough group.
Algeria were the most impressive African side at the World Cup. A change of coach with Frenchman Christian Gourcuff succeeding Bosnian Vahid Halilhodzic had no effect on the Desert Foxes, who secured qualification with two games to spare.
They will be joined at the finals by Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Congo, DR Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea, Ivory Coast, Mali, Senegal, South Africa, Tunisia and Zambia. - AFP
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