Yesterdays matches in the group of 16 in the 2019 CAN championship have its own drama. The Madagascans were able to prove that their emergence and debuting was no fluke, the wins over Nigeria in the group stages and over DR Congo at this stage is not by chance. Obviously it was earned and merited. Not surprisingly, Algeria dominated their opponents Guinea, and emerged victorious.
Today’s matches may be slightly different from yesterday’s matches; this is so because the teams that will be playing are by no means regarded as underdogs. We expert the encounters to be the most exciting, perhaps it will transcend the explosive match between the host Egypt and South Africa.
Ivory Coast vs Mali
One can surmise that the Elephants of Ivory coast found themselves in the second round of 16 by share luck considering poor performance in the first round of the tournament. The men are the Orange kit did not offer convincing performances nor can it be said to be a successful one. They were largely dominated by Morocco despite a narrow defeat by a goal difference, the Elephants lacked creativity during moments of offense. Their slim victory over Namibia in their last match was not too impressive. It was not until the last 5 minutes of the encounter that their opponents exposed it’s to be assured for the Elephants.
The weakness and rickety performance showcased by Ivoirians will not augur well if it manifests itself in the group of sixteen. Mali, who is the opponent, is known to utilize every weakness to it advantage. The Malians as it is are comprised of several talented upstarts such as Marega and Djenepo such that any opponent needs to be wary of. It is no surprise that the Malians emerged top of their group despite having strong team such as Tunisia as part of the group.
Ghana vs Tunisia
Surprisingly, The Black Stars have not been able to prove their mettle in the CAN championship. They drew two matches when they played and against the Indomitable lions of Cameroon and the squirrels of Benin. They were able to validate their ticket to the group of sixteen when they defeated Guinea-Bissau by two goals which are scored by Partney and Ayew was the saving grace, otherwise the black stars would have been eliminated from the tournament. The lackluster performance however, does not mean that an opponent can take them for granted. A team that is known to change gears and accelerate the phase of a game is dangerous. A plus for the Black Stars of Ghana is the fact that the group of sixteen, quarter finals and semi finals were not unfamiliar territories, for they were present in the last six editions of CAN and have done quite well for themselves.
My Thoughts
No doubt the match between the Elephants and the Malians is going to be an explosive one and one cannot but wait with enthusiasm to see who will dominate the other. I see the Malians winning this encounter being that their attacking exploits appears more lethal coupled with with a solid defense. It will take more than the half-hearted performance of the Ivorian's during the group stages to breakthrough the Malians defense.
The match between Ghana and Tunisia is another explosive match in waiting. Ghana being one of the best from the West African block is meeting another good opponent from the Northern Block of Africa. Although both teams did not come out topping their respective groups, it will be interesting to watch what they have up their sleeve. If Ghana will not improve on its performance, there is every chance that the Tunisians will walk over the Ghanaian's to the quarter finals fair and squire.
MAY THE BEST PREPARED TEAM WIN THEIR MATCHES.
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