Les Ghanéens, qui terminent en tête de la poule, affronteront la Tunisie, tandis que les Maliens joueront contre le Gabon.

Jeune Afrique.

Le Soudan (4 points) prend la deuxième place du groupe B à la différence de buts devant l’Angola (0 contre -1) et derrière la Côte d’Ivoire (9 points), déjà qualifiée avant cette troisième journée et première équipe dans ce tournoi à réaliser un carton plein de trois victoires.

Jeune Afrique.

Le sortant, le Gabonais Jean Ping, restait seul en course. Mais pour être élu, il lui fallait absolument une majorité des deux tiers ; il lui a manqué 4 voix, ce qui a provoqué des manifestations de joie et même quelques pas de danse dans la délégation sud-africaine.

La règle, dans ce cas, voudrait que le vice-président de la Commission assure l’intérim pendant six mois, jusqu’au prochain sommet. Seulement voilà, le vice-président était lui aussi en fin de mandat. Les débats, souvent très houleux, se sont poursuivis pendant de longues heures, avant d’aboutir à un compromis : Jean Ping devrait expédier les affaires courantes jusqu’au prochain sommet au mois de juillet.

Mais il a été désavoué par un peu plus du tiers des Etats du continent, ce qui limite évidemment son autorité. La question maintenant, c’est s’il va accepter cette présidence vidée de sa substance.

RFI

L’Union africaine a élu son nouveau président : le chef de l’Etat du Bénin, Thomas Boni Yayi.

Le secrétaire général des Nations unies Ban Ki-moon, qui était invité, a défendu les droits des homosexuels sur le continent.
Le nouveau président tunisien Moncef Marzouki, a lui aussi pris la parole. Il a loué le printemps arabe et mis en garde les dictateurs africains: « Les révolutions vont balayer tous les régimes dictatoriaux, rien ne pourra arrêter les peuples qui décident de rompre les chaînes ».

Autre thème phare: l’homosexualité. En effet, l’homosexualité africaine a été publiquement évoquée. Le secrétaire des Nations unies a lancé un appel à la fin des discriminations homosexuelles en Afrique. Pour mémoire, le Cameroun et l’Ouganda ont une législation ferme sur l’homosexualité.

On a cependant noté l’absence de plusieurs chefs d’Etats.
Alors qu’ils étaient annoncés il y a une semaine encore, le président malien, Amani Toumani Touré, puis son ministre des Affaires étrangères ont décidé d’annuler leur participation au 18e sommet de l’Union africaine. Les présidents du Niger et de Mauritanie ont eux aussi dû annuler leur participation au sommet. Pour sûr, la situation sécuritaire dans le nord du pays peut expliquer ces annulations. Autres absents: les présidents du Sénégal et du Cameroun. Si on peut comprendre que la situation sécuritaire est explosive au Sénégal, on est habitué au désistement quasi continu du président Paul Biya.

Le 30 janvier 2011, lors du 16e sommet de l’Union africaine, les pays arabes (Algérie, Tunisie, Egypte, Libye) étaient absents pour cause de révoltes.

Dépassés par l’enthousiasme du pays hôte, les hommes d’Hervé Renard, qu’on a connu plus alertes, ont tout simplement bafouillé leur football. Heureusement pour eux, la Libye n’a pas réussi à battre le Sénégal. La Guinée équatoriale et la Zambie sont donc qualifiés, la Libye et le Sénégal sont éliminés. Mauvaise nouvelle cependant pour les locaux, ils vont sans doute devoir se farcir la Côte d’Ivoire lors du prochain match.

“C’est un match décisif et à gagner, un nul ne nous arrangerait pas. Nous devons donc prendre des risques et ne pas être aussi prudents que face au Ghana”, assurait Stanley Tshosane avant la rencontre. 90 minutes plus tard, le sélectionneur des Zèbres pouvait faire la moue.

Car le Botswana, première équipe à avoir validé son billet pour la CAN 2012, est éliminé. Et, si les Zèbres sont, ce samedi soir, en train de faire leurs bagages, ils ne peuvent s’en prendre qu’à eux-mêmes. Trop naïfs, trop tendres, les joueurs de Tshosane n’ont pas fait le poids face à une équipe de Guinée toujours aussi joueuse mais qui a enfin réglé la mire. Car les hommes de Michel Dussuyer ont pris conscience de l’enjeu : battu par le Mali (1-0), le Syli se devait de s’imposer pour entretenir l’espoir d’un hypothétique quart de finale.

Patrick Motsepe expulsé

Et l’affaire a été rondement menée. En 45 minutes, Abdoulaye Siado Diallo (15e, 27e) frappait deux fois, suivi par Abdoul Razzagui Camara (42e) et Ibrahima Traoré (45e). Le but, sur penalty, de Diphetogo Selolwane (22e) n’avait qu’une valeur historique puisqu’il s’agit du premier but botswanais en phase finale de la Coupe d’Afrique. Le seul positif à retenir pour le Botswana dans un match à sens unique, Mamadou Bah (82e) et Nabi Soumah (87e) se permettant même d’enfoncer le clou.

Les chances du Botswana sont belles et bien enterrées, elles l’étaient de toute façon à la pause lors que le Syli menait 4-1 et que les Zèbres étaient déjà réduits à dix. La Guinée, convaincante et rafraîchissante, peut espérer se qualifier pour les quarts de finale de la CAN 2012. Mais cela passe par une victoire face au Ghana, le 1e février.

(Afrik.com)

Substitute Bruno Zita Mbanangoye curled in an exquisite free kick in the fifth minute of stoppage time to give Gabon a shock 3-2 win over Morocco, eliminating one of the pre-tournament favourites.

The victory sparked wild celebrations in the Gabonese capital of Libreville where President Ali Bongo was among the jubilant 40,000 crowd.

Tunisia’s win also came from a substitute as Issam Jemaa gave them a 2-1 triumph over Niger who were knocked out.

Tunisia and Gabon each have six points from two games in Group C while Morocco and Niger are pointless.

Despite missing big guns such as Nigeria, Cameroon and Egypt, the tournament is turning into one of the liveliest in recent years and has yet to produce a one-sided match.

Equatorial Guinea, the other co-hosts, qualified in similarly dramatic circumstances on Wednesday, a 94th-minute goal giving them a 2-1 win over Senegal and a place in the last eight.

The dullest football has come from Ivory Coast who did the absolute minimum to win their opening games against Sudan and Burkina Faso.

In the second game of Friday’s double bill, Houcine Kharja gave Morocco a 24th-minute lead, which they kept until an astonishing last 15 minutes.

Just as he did in their 2-0 win over Niger, Gabon’s inspirational striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scored one goal and created the second.

The Mohican-sporting St Etienne player rifled in an unstoppable volley to equalise in the 77th minute and two minutes later set up Daniel Cousin to score with a clinical finish.

The former Rangers, Hull City, Larissa and Le Mens player collected the ball with his back to goal, spun and placed his shot just inside the far post, prompting some celebrating fans to run on to the running track around the pitch.

The stadium was in raptures until Morocco, coached by former Belgium defender Eric Gerets, were awarded a penalty for handball against Charly Moussono in the 89th minute and Kharja converted for his second goal of the game.

POETIC JUSTICE

It was not over as Dinamo Minsk midfielder Mbanangoye’s free kick curled over the wall and inside the near post to clinch the game and send Gabon to the last eight for only the second time.

It also provided some poetic justice as the foul was awarded for a dreadful tackle by Mehdi Benatia who escaped with a yellow card when he should have been sent off.

The opening match quickly came to life with two goals in the opening seven minutes, one of them sublime and the other bizarre.

Tunisia’s left winger Youssef Msakni dribbled past four defenders before placing the ball past goalkeeper Daouda Kassaly after four minutes.

Niger were soon level when a long clearance into the Tunisia penalty area dropped with awkward back spin, fooling keeper Aymen Mathlouthi who was distracted by an attempt from Moussa Maazou to slap the ball which bounced on to the head of William Tonji Ngounou and into an empty net.

“It was important for us to our first goal of the tournament,” said the journeyman striker who plays in the Swedish third division.

The chances continued to flow, both teams hitting the woodwork, before Jemaa won it on the stroke of fulltime after cutting inside two defenders to power the ball home from close range.

Ghana, who scraped past Botswana 1-0 in their opening game, face Mali in Franceville on Saturday while Botswana play Guinea, both in Group D.

Reuters.

The Ivorians, apparently traumatised by their dramatic quarter-final exit at the hands of Algeria two years ago, managed a flattering 2-0 win over Burkina Faso on a steamy evening for their second straight win of the tournament.

Angola crawled back into their shell immediately after taking a 2-1 lead over Sudan early in the second half and had two players booked for time-wasting before their opponents deservedly equalised.

Despite this, coach Lito Vidigal was awarded the game’s fair play trophy although it was not explained why.

Angola, with four points from two games, need a draw against the Ivorians on Monday to qualify but if they lose, Sudan could overhaul them with a win against Burkina, who have no points and are eliminated.

Burkina’s fiery coach Paulo Duarte went out with a bang as he lambasted his federation over the failure to obtain clearance for three naturalised players.

“We lost three players just before the start because we didn’t manage to get them qualified,” said the fiery Portuguese, often known as the African Mourinho.

“That just can’t be allowed to happen, it’s unthinkable… it’s primitive.”

“On the field we play quality football, off the field there are successive errors. I haven’t decided if I will continue yet. That option is open to me but I’ll have to think about it.”

The Ivorians were the second team to reach the last eight after co-hosts Equatorial Guinea, who triggered wild celebrations with a shock 2-1 win over Senegal in Bata on Wednesday night.

KALOU SCORES

Gabon, the other co-hosts, could go through on Friday if they beat Morocco and Tunisia take a point against Niger in a Group C double bill in Libreville.

Ivory Coast, who survived a penalty appeal early on when Jonathan Pitroipa was tripped, went ahead in the 16th minute against Burkina when two defenders failed to cut out a cross and Salomon Kalou fired home.

They sat on their lead, survived a few scares and made the game safe thanks to a bizarre own goal by Bakary Kone, who sent a backwards header over stranded goalkeeper Daouda Diakite following an Ivorian free kick into the area.

“For the second game in a row, we haven’t conceded a goal,” said the Ivorians’ coach Francois Zahouis, clearly outlining his priorities.

In the first game of the double bill at the picturesque Estadio Nuevo de Malabo, Manucho twice put Angola ahead, with the second goal coming from the penalty spot, but Ahmed Bashir replied each time for the Sudanese.

Manucho dispossessed a defender to fire home Angola’s first in the fifth minute before Bashir headed Sudan level just after the half hour.

It was Sudan’s first goal at the tournament after they scored against Zaire in 1976. Since then, they have only qualified once, in 2008, when they lost all three games 3-0.

Angola regained the lead with a Manucho penalty three minutes after halftime, his third goal of the tournament.

But Bashir hooked in the equaliser in the 73rd minute for Sudan, whose entire squad consists of home-based players.

Reuters.

The French-born midfielder struck a firm shot from just outside the penalty area to separate the west African rivals, the last of the 16 teams at this year’s tournament in Equatorial Guinea and Gabon to get their campaigns underway

The 29th-minute goal came after a strong run from Modibo Maiga who cut the ball back for Traore to blast home as Seydou Keita scampered out of the way.

On a night of plentiful chances, it was the only accurate finish as both sides traded blows in a high tempo game that contrasted with some of the pedestrian efforts in the first four days of the continental championship.

Guinea made the most opportunities, notably in the first 25 minutes with Ismail Bangoura going close, and in a dominant second-half display as they attempted to get back into the game.

Coach Michel Dussuyer introduced three young substitutes – including debutant Abdoul Razzagui Camara – to increase the pace of his attack but was let down by poor finishing.

Substitute Ousmane Barry missed a header in front of goal provided by Camara’s cross and former captain Pascal Feindouno twice shot narrowly wide.

Mali’s win set up a mouth-watering meeting with Ghana on Saturday.

Ghana beat Botswana 1-0 in Franceville earlier on Tuesday.

Reuters.