Africa: Top Soccer Teams Aim for Gold

12 August 2008
allAfrica.com
By Aliou Goloko

African teams aimed high in the second round of Olympics soccer matches.

Côte d'Ivoire fires back

After a disappointing loss to defending championa Argentina in the opening game, the young Ivorians bounced back with a 4-2 win against Serbia, keeping alive their hopes of advancing to the next stage.

Sekou Cisse, already a noted member of Côte d'Ivoire's senior team, led the way against Serbia right from the start of the game. The Ivorians unleashed their steamrolling trio – Cissé, Kalou, and Gervinho – who scored the first, third and fourth goals respectively. The second Ivorian goal was an own-goal by a Serbian defender.

The victory has revived the Ivorian team, led by Koné Koumatien, and it can now take seriously its dream of gold at its first Olympic outing.

Nigeria gaining momentum

Nigeria is a force to reckon with at these Olympics, 12 years after a previous generation of talented players won the gold medal in Atlanta.

Back then, Team Nigeria was led by Daniel Amokachi and Jay Jay Okocha, and today's duo of Peter Osaze Odemwingie and Victor Anichebe presents many similarities in their drive for power and an offensive game-style. This can be attributed to the coach, Samson Siasia, himself a former squad member of the Amokachi-Kanu and Okocha-Oliseh generation.

After a scoreless draw against the Netherlands in their first game, Nigeria's "Dream Team 4" raised its level a notch against a visibly overwhelmed Japanese team.

Thanks to two goals from the offensive pair of Obinna Nsofor and Victor Anichebe, Nigeria earned a 2-0 victory that places them on top of Group B, ahead of the United States team captained by Ghanaian-born Freddy Adu, which also drew against the Netherlands (2-2).

The next round of matches in this group should clarify the rankings between the two teams almost guaranteed to qualify, even though the Netherlands could still bounce back if they win against Japan and a Nigeria-USA fight ends up with a wide margin either way.

Cameroon follows its own path

The Cameroonian 2008 Olympic team has neither the pace of that of 2000, nor its talent and skill, but it remains as motivated as its predecessor.

For its second game in the men's tournament, it secured a 1-0 victory against Honduras, a moderate team, thanks to a goal by Stephane Mbia, the Lions' lead player at these Olympics.

Cameroon, with four points in two outings, could make it through the first round by holding Italy to a draw, but this would require better play from its forwards, Serge Ngal, Alain Olle Olle, Songo'o and Aurelien Chedjou.

Almost on probation, as it were, in their first game against South Korea, the Lions equalized a mere nine minutes from the end of the game – thanks to Georges Mandjeck.

Despite the gnashing of teeth by players over unpaid bonuses a few hours before the start of the competition, the young Cameroonians have saved face while building up to cruising speed. They hope to walk in the footsteps of their predecessors, who won gold in 2000.

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