> check
THE SHOT LIVE for coverages on weekends
> You want to be notified
of coverages? Leave your e-mail address
week1 June
16-18, 2000
Nigeria cannot afford wasting
points against Sierra Leone, they will be hunted by Ghana. But coach Bonfrere
says players are not 100% fit and Sierra Leone has called up all professionals
and looks ambitious
Sudan plays Liberia in
a match unlikely to see a serious challenger for the two group giants
(Ghana idle)
Nigeria - Sierra Leone
2:0
1:0 ('16) Okocha 2:0('37)
Akwuegbu, att.:: 20,000
Sudan - Liberia
2:0
week2 July
8-9, 2000
Ghanas chance lies in playing
perfect against Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Sudan. But being perfect in
matches against smaller powers had proved as a problem in the recent past.
Ghana are clear favourites in this one anyway.
Nigeria with off pitch
problems again face a difficult task in this group: Because of the constellation
with two giants and three third row powers the outcome might depend on
concentration in the 'small' matches as well as on luck in the direct encounter
with Ghana. Losing points on the way could become costly.
Liberia - Nigeria
2:1 July 9
Reuters/dailysoccer.com:
scorers: Liberia - Christopher
Wreh 4, 47.
Nigeria - Nwankwo Kanu
35.
Halftime: 1-1; Attendance
15,000.
Ghana - Sierra
Leone 5:0 July
9 *the original schedule has been changed so that Ghana plays now at home
and in the 7th week at Sierra Leone
Reuters/dailysoccer.com:
Scorers: Charles Asamoah*
13, 60, Charles Akunnor 67, Yaw Preko 75, Ishmael Addo 89.
Halftime: 1-0; Attendance
45,000.
* should rather be Amoah
week3 Jan
26-28, 2001
The big West African race between Nigeria and Ghana was
supposed to continue in Group B. Both sides had received their injections
against complecancy but it had remained unclear whether there has been
a curing effect: Nigeria already had lost 3 valuable points at Liberia.
And Ghana, where some seemed to have thought a home win over trubled neighbours
Sierra Leone would already mean qualification, had received severe warnings
in the parallel Nations Cup qualifiers where they only managed 1 single
away point from matches at Lesotho and DR Congo. Both West African giants
were be expected to win their home matches this weekend.
The more difficult task had been up for Ghana as there
was still a dim hope flickering on the side of Liberia though George Weah's
side had already blown 3 away points at Sudan. Sudan, Nigerias opponent,
looked good in the table but were assessed no chance at all, judging from
the recent Nations Cup games which had seen them scoring zero goals
in three matches.
Then came this Sunday that might have changed it all.
Liberia managed the big bang of the weekend, outplaying
Ghana in the first half and scoring late by a penalty in the second to
take 1:0 and 2:1 leads. They added a third goal and after a succession
of good results are now definitively in the race. It seems as George Weah's
big dream of leading his country to the World Cup, which had caused rather
a sympathetic smile on the faces of so many experts than real belief, could
become at least a realistic possibility. Player-coach Weah, first African
to have been elected World Footballer of the year looks for what would
become maybe the biggest upset in African Football history: qualifying
troubled Liberia for a World Cup. Only a dream?
Nigeria - Sudan
3:0
detailed match report on extra page
Ghana - Liberia
1:3
0:1('10) Seetor, 1:1('70) Duah, 1:2 ('85)
Makor pen., 1:3('88) Shannon, att. 60,000?
week4 Feb
23-25, 2001
Group B: There was big sign readable at the side
of the road all four weeks long: 'Khartoum, big trap waiting for you to
fall into'. How Ghana did and how reactions and analysis have been read
in the report linked below (see After the match)
Meanwhile Liberia has taken the part as challengers to
Nigeria. The team might not have as many talented players and experienced
professionals as the group giants but they have something that lacks other
teams: they have a vision (or rather a dream) and they have somebody who
has the clear goal to make it real and who has no other interests (especially
no financial) distracting him off that goal: George Weah. That the team
is not that automatically strong proves the slim 1:0 victory over Sierra
Leone which has cost the Liberians a possible disadvantage in goal difference.
So Nigeria remain favorites of this group of no draws
while their real strength yet remains unproved - the crucial away fixtures,
especially at Ghana and Sudan should give the answer.
Sudan - Ghana
1:0
detailed match report on extra page
Liberia - Sierra
Leone 1:0
Roberts '65, att. 60,000
week5 Mar
9-11, 2001
Sierra Leone
- Sudan 0:2
0:1 ('43) James Joseph, 0:2 ('44) Khalid Bakit
Ghana - Nigeria
0:0
more infos on extra page
before week6
When Ghana has to watch
this weekends matches from outside they will hope for a draw in the Liberia-Sudan
match. So will the Nigerian Ex-Super Eagles who today are chasing two group
leaders which have an aggregated 1 participation at the last 12 Nations
Cup final tournaments (since 1978).
But the Nigerians are still
very well in a position to qualify by their own powers. They seem to face
a relatively easy task away to Sierra Leone who just have their periodic
coach firing just behind them. But Sierra Leone is not that easy to step
over at home as the table suggests and for the West Africans, without chance
of qualification for neither the World Cup nor the Nations Cup, it should
be a prestigious match.
Meanwhile the Nigerians
have prepared for the match 'their way': the controversy between coach
Bonfrere and the FA has broken entirely open and seems to lead to a scenario
in which the conflict seem to have gained more importance than the match.
Liberia and Sudan might
hope that this Nigerian constellation persists for longer. Sudan is a good
but not an extraordinary team. They have the luck (or bad luck) that all
their good results have fallen on this competition while all their goal
scoring problems have been reduced to the parallel Nations Cup qualifiers.
Normally a World Cup should be out of their reach but what is normal in
this group? If they can surprise Liberia everything will be possible for
some more time. In their away match at Nigeria they did do very well until
the first Nigerian goal.
For Liberia it is a different
story. With the points won so far they do have a relaistic chance and will
certainly curse their failure in the first match at Sudan. But they will
have to be alerted they do not waste the gained advantage in this difficult
match against a well organised Sudanese team.
Back to Ghana: Just watching
the other matches seems to have been too little attention for a big football
power. Ghana might have been envious on their neighbours cabaret: new reports
say they have just fired their coach Jones Attuquayefio in an argument
over his double coaching role for club and country. As The Shot had suggested
before: the general policy on who plays for the team and who not is also
about a lot of money for a lot of people...
week6 Apr 20-22,
2001
Liberia - Sudan
2:0
1:0 Kelvin Segbe ('38), 2:0 ('78) Weah
Sierra Leone
- Nigeria 1:0
goal: Sidque Mansaray ('25) (other source says Kallon)
att. 40,000
At the moment the two teams
who focus their limited powers on a valuable goal battle it out while the
two antique giants have all their forces split trying to pull the wagon
into different directions. Liberia with a clear vision have something like
a joker game coming: at Nigeria they are not under pressure to win, but
if they do they will kick out the Super Eagles. But - on the other hand
- Nigeria is still not that far behind. If the result goes the other way,
the pressure will be heavy on the outsiders.
week7 May 4-6,
2001
Nigeria - Liberia
2:0
Kanu ('10), Agali ('59)
Sierra Leone
- Ghana 1:1
dailysoccer/Reuters reports:
0:1('26) Quam Ayew, 1:1('85 pen) Alpha Joh, att. 25,000
Ghana further damaged their
still present chances by supposedly lacklustre preparations for the match
at Sierra Leone and are left rather with theoretical scenarios, especially
because all belief has been thrown aboard.
Nigeria meanwhile did the
put up the expected fight against Liberia and maintained their perfect
home record.
Nigeria had fired coach
Bonfrere in the week after the Sierra Leone match but the line up carried
only a few changes. Their crunch match will come at Sudan: before they
can profit from any possible Liberian mistake they will have to win at
least one away match in this qualification.
Football in both, Ghana and
Nigeria, is in turmoil with fractions fighting each other instead of focussing
on a common goal. A scenario like in France where a coach has four years
to build a success team is unthinkable here. For both coaches, Nigeria
and Ghana, it has been the first match this weekend, neglecting the
fact, both have been temporarily in this function before. And both are
thought to be only temporary solutions again this time.
> more
about the crisis in Nigeria and Ghana here
week8
Liberia - Ghana
1:2
0:1 Amoah '33, 1:1 Sebwe
'44, 1:2 Boakye '60
Sudan - Nigeria
0:4
detailed match report on extra page
week9 Jul
13-15, 2001
Sierra Leone
- Liberia 0:1
0:1 Weah '73
George Weah came on as a
substitute to score the winner by a header and make elimination for Ghana
formal, who now cannot catch up with the leaders anymore
Ghana - Sudan
1:0
One day later Ghana put
an end to any left Sudanese dreams
(Emmanuel Kuffour '45)
Now it will all come down
to the Nigeria - Ghana match:
If Nigeria win, they will
go, otherwise Liberia will be qualified
week10 Jul
27-29, 2001
> check
THE SHOT LIVE for coverages on weekends
> You want to be notified
of coverages? Leave your e-mail address
|
