Spoiling the party

Cameroon aiming to ruin host Mali's Nations Cup dream

BAMAKO, Mali (AP) -- Three of the top African soccer teams have reached the Cup of Nations semifinals, but it's host country Mali that will be trying to pull off the biggest upset when it faces tournament favorite Cameroon on Thursday.

The defending champion, the continent's most successful World Cup side and three-time African Cup winner, has been perfect in the competition so far, winning all four of its games while scoring six goals and conceding none.

"Cameroon is the team to beat in this competition," Cameroon striker Samuel Eto'o was quoted as saying in Mali's L'Essor newspaper. "I feel the finals are very close."

Cameroon, FIFA's 37th ranked team and No. 4 in Africa, is a 2002 World Cup qualifier and the defending Olympic champion. The Indomitable Lions will face three-time World Cup champion Germany, Saudi Arabia and Ireland in Japan later this year.

Mali, which is ranked 104th in the world and 21st in Africa, has reached the championship's final just once, losing to Republic of Congo in 1972. It failed to reach Africa's final World Cup qualifying round.

Still, the players remain confident on home soil.

"We can beat any African team," Mali's David Coulibaly said.

Cameroon will rely on Patrick Mboma, who netted the game-winner on Monday against Egypt and is the reigning African player of the year, and Eto'o.

Mboma, who plays in Italy's Serie A with Parma, is also the tournament's leading scorer with three goals. Eto'o plays in Spain with Mallorca.

Mali will be hoping Bassala Toure, who has scored two goals, including the first goal in the quarterfinal win over South Africa, will be up to the task.

The game is scheduled for Thursday at 1900 GMT at the capital's March 26 stadium.

In the other semifinal, two-time African Cup winner Nigeria meets Senegal, a team not used to being on the winning end of big games.

"Our aim was to at least reach the semifinals, and we succeeded," Senegal's El-Hadji Diouf said. "We aren't afraid of Nigeria or any other team."

The Senegalese are likely to put up a fight at Keita stadium in Bamako, but the depth of the Super Eagles, who have two-time African player of the year Nwankwo Kanu and Julius Aghahowa up front, should prove to be too much.

Kanu, who plays for England's Arsenal, has yet to score in Mali, however, and Nigeria has scored just three goals in the competition. Aghahowa has two of those goals.

"We came to Mali to win," Super Eagles assistant coach Stephen Keshu said. "Senegal has a good team, but I don't think they will be able to block Nigeria's way to victory."

The Dakar Lions, who also have not conceded a goal, have scored four, including a pair in the quarterfinal win over Congo (Zaire). Diouf, who plays in France with Lens, got one of them.

Nigeria still does not know if goalkeeper Ike Shorunmu, who was injured in a collision Sunday, will play Thursday. Reserve keeper Murphy Akanji finished the quarterfinal match.

That game is scheduled to start at 1600 GMT.

Nigeria and Senegal have also qualified for the World Cup. It will be Senegal's first appearance on world soccer's biggest stage.

The Super Eagles, who were drawn into the World Cup's "Group of Death" with Argentina, England and Sweden, became the first African team to win a major global tournament when they took the gold medal at the Olympics in Atlanta six years ago.

Senegal, which has never made it past the semifinals of the African Cup, plays defending champion France, Uruguay and Denmark in South Korea.

Tunisia is FIFA's top-ranked African team at No. 28, but the Carthage Eagles dropped out of the tournament in the first round after a pair of draws and a loss. South Africa, at 31, and Morocco, at 36, follow. South Africa lost to Mali in the quarterfinals and Morocco failed to get out of the group stage.

Next is Cameroon, followed closely by Nigeria at 39. Senegal is No. 68, but is the continent's 12th-ranked team.

Tunisia and South Africa have also qualified for this year's World Cup.

The Cup of Nations final will be played at 1600 GMT Sunday at March 26 stadium. The third-place game is scheduled for Mopti, east of Bamako, at 1600 GMT Saturday.

 

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