Lions hunt Zambia

Senegal chasing quarterfinal berth

BAMAKO (Reuters) -- World Cup finalist Senegal hopes to qualify for the Nations Cup quarterfinals Saturday by beating a flu-ravaged Zambian side for the first time in its history.

The Lions struggled to break down Egypt's defense in the opening game in Group D but came out a winner with a late goal and victory in Bamako's smaller Modibo Keita stadium on Saturday will earn them a second round berth.

Senegal is the only team out of the six playing Saturday to have scored so far in a competition which has produced six goalless draws in 10 matches and just five goals.

The poor strike rate at Mali is in stark contrast to the 1998 finals, the most prolific Nations Cup when 93 goals were scored in 32 games.

Senegal's coach Frenchman Bruno Metsu, who is taking the Lions to the World Cup finals in Japan and Korea for the first time, says the goal drought is not a tactical problem.

"It's not the attackers' fault. It's just that the defenders are good, that's all. These days a football game hinges on a detail," he said.

"There are no easy matches and if the games are tight it's because the players are getting better and better," he said at the team's hotel on Thursday.

Tenacious performance

Opponent Zambia has been plagued by illness at the Nations Cup. Midfielder Ian Bakala contracted malaria before the first match and nine others have gone down with flu.

Still, Zambia put in a tenacious performance against Tunisia in its opening match, holding the World Cup finalist to a goalless draw, and Senegal is not taking its task lightly.

"We know they are a good team. If (French newspaper) L'Equipe says the opposite they really didn't watch the match against Tunisia. They have plenty of quality and Senegal have never beaten Zambia, so it's a challenge," said Senegal's French coach.

"They regroup well in defence and they break very quickly. They could have beaten Tunisia. It's going to be hard, complicated, difficult... If we can 'crush' them 1-0 we'll be happy," joked Metsu.

Meanwhile, the Democratic Republic of Congo, beaten 1-0 by holder Cameroon in the opening Group C match, will take on minnow Togo in the southern town of Sikasso without its star player Shabani Nonda.

The Monaco striker became the fourth player to leave Mali this week amid conflicting reports about the departure. Congo's coach Louis Watunda said Nonda had permission to play for his club but other officials said he simply upped and left for Monaco of his own accord.

While the teams' future in the competition will be affected by the outcome of Cameroon's clash with Ivory Coast on Friday, both sides really need a win to stay in contention. Togo has never got beyond the first round.

In Group B, supporters and players alike will be praying just for a goal from the clash between Burkina Faso and Morocco. The first three encounters in the pool have all ended goalless leaving the group, which includes World Cup finalist South Africa, wide open.

Burkina Faso, which held the Bafana Bafana to a draw, is a young side without the host of European stars many African sides can draw on. The Stallions' best performance was as host in 1998 when it was a semifinalist.

However Morocco, coached by Humberto Coelho who took Portugal to the semifinals of Euro 2000, only missed out on a World Cup place on goal difference to Senegal and will be seeking some compensation here in Mali.

 

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