Sports
S’Africa Gives Up Lead, Falls To Algeria
Faouzi Ghoulam scored
his first international goal as Algeria completed a dramatic fightback to beat South Africa 3-1 in the Africa Cup of Nations on Monday.
Christian Gourcuff’s Algeria side, the top-ranked national team in Africa, is among the favourites to win the tournament but looked to be heading for defeat when Thuso Phala gave Bafana Bafana a deserved second-half lead at Estadio de Mongomo.
South Africa striker Tokelo Rantie then missed a penalty a few minutes later and that was to prove costly as Algeria fought back to win their Group C opener.
Thulani Hlatshwayo’s own goal pegged Shakes Mashaba’s men back and Napoli defender Ghoulam added insult to injury by putting Algeria in front five minutes later.
Islam Slimani then sealed the points with a third goal, which goalkeeper Darren Keet should have kept out, as South Africa were left to reflect on what might have been.
South Africa did not allow their opponents to settle in the first half and they were unfortunate not to be in front when captain Dean Furman rattled the crossbar with a rasping long-range drive 22 minutes in.
Bafana Bafana then suffered a blow when they lost a distraught Rivaldo Coetzee to injury, meaning Siyabonga Nhlapo entered the fray after only half an hour.
South Africa looked increasingly threatening and had two great chances to take the lead just before half-time as Algeria rode their luck.
Algeria were unable to live with the pace of Bafana Bafana and Mashaba’s men should have doubled their lead two minutes later, when Aissa Mandi clattered into Vilakazi as he raced into the area and referee Noumandiez Desire Doue pointed to the spot.
Mandi was somewhat fortunate to escape with only a yellow card and Algeria were given another let off when Rantie’s penalty hit the crossbar and went behind for a goal-kick.
Algeria responded and Keet denied Slimani, who reacted quickly but saw his header palmed onto the post by the South Africa keeper.
Gourcuff’s men were then gifted an equaliser when defender Hlatshwayo could only head Yacine Brahimi’s cross into his own net after 67 minutes.
And worse was to come for South Africa five minutes later, when Ghoulam surged into the penalty and found the back of the net with a left-footed strike that Keet ought to have done better with at his near post
Slimani then stole in to add a third goal seven minutes from time, as Keet had another moment to forget by allowing a tame shot to squirm under his body and into the net.
Only Denmark, ranked 21st globally, sits higher among nations that failed to qualify for the tournament, which is being co-hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada.
England and Chelsea legend John Terry was among those to voice his disappointment, describing Nigeria as a significant loss to a tournament that features 48 nations for the first time.
“Nigeria will be a big miss. This is a World Cup for participants who haven’t had the opportunity to play in the tournament. I would have loved to see a top team like Nigeria there because they’ve got some great individuals. They’re a great nation,” Terry said during a virtual roundtable session organised by SuperSport.
“I think they are a big miss because Nigeria probably would have gone further in the competition, but unfortunately, one side’s loss is another’s gain,” the former England captain added.
Eric Chelle’s side finished second in Group C of the CAF World Cup qualifiers behind South Africa, who secured automatic qualification. Nigeria kept their hopes alive with a playoff semi-final victory over Gabon before falling to the Democratic Republic of Congo on penalties in the decisive playoff final — their second successive absence from the World Cup after also missing the 2022 tournament in Qatar.
The Nigeria Football Federation later challenged DR Congo’s qualification, alleging the use of ineligible players during the campaign, but the appeal was dismissed.
Despite missing the World Cup, the Super Eagles remain Africa’s 3rd highest-ranked team behind Morocco, who sit seventh in the world, and Senegal. Algeria and Egypt complete the continent’s top five.
Defending champions Argentina enter the tournament as the world’s top-ranked side, ahead of Spain, France, England and Portugal. Brazil are sixth, followed by Morocco, the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany.
The next FIFA World Ranking will be released on July 20, a day after the World Cup final.
Chima Akachukwu and Miracle Akhigbe are among the 16 notable stars picked by the Nigeria Cricket Federation (NCF) for the forthcoming Namibia Tour, where the YellowGreens will compete in a T20 and 50-Over Tri-Series, featuring hosts Namibia and Hong Kong China.
Both players make their way back into the YellowGreens fold after periods away from the side and will be eager to contribute their experience and quality as Nigeria pursues success in Namibia.
The NCF said yesterday that the squad, which departs Nigeria today, forms part of the national team’s continued preparations for future international assignments as the YellowGreens seek to build on recent performances and strengthen their standing on the global stage.
Leading the squad is Captain Sulaimon Runsewe, who will spearhead Nigeria’s campaign against two formidable opponents in what promises to be a highly competitive series.
The selected squad combines experienced internationals with emerging talents, providing the technical crew an opportunity to assess player development and team combinations in both the T20 and 50-over formats.
The team will be led on tour by Coaches Leke Oyede and Tamuno John, who will oversee preparations and match operations during the opening phase of the series.
Joining the squad later in Namibia will be the newly appointed Head Coach and High Performance Manager, Stephen Magongo, whose arrival marks another significant step in the Federation’s commitment to strengthening the national team structure and enhancing player development pathways.
Supporting the coaching staff are Team Analyst Jamal Okechukwu, Strength and Conditioning Coach Seye Olympio, and Team Physiotherapist Timothy Adesomowo, forming a well-rounded technical crew focused on maximising player performance and welfare throughout the tour.
The NCF views the Namibia Tri-Series as an important platform for the continued growth of the national team, offering valuable international exposure and competitive match experience against quality opposition. The series will provide the players and technical crew with another opportunity to evaluate progress, fine-tune strategies, and build momentum ahead of future international competitions.
The YellowGreens will face Namibia and Hong Kong China in both T20 and 50-over contests, with the matches expected to test the team’s adaptability, discipline, and resilience in challenging conditions.
Blessing Otu on Monday overcame hard-fighting Kelvin Bebe- Emmanuella in two sets of 6-1, 6-3 to qualify for the second round of the women’s singles of the ongoing 47th Central Bank of Nigeria Senior Tennis Championship, held at the Tennis Courts of the package “B” of the Moshood Abiola National Stadium, Abuja.
Speaking after the round of 32 game, Otu, who will be 19 years old in September, said she capitalised on her opponent’s weaknesses to gain victory, having studied her game very well.
“Bebe is a very good and tough player. But I studied her game and did the job well.
“Although she tried to come back in the second set, I punctured all her tricks to win the match and move on. I wish I could continue like this in the rest of my games,” she said.
Another member of the Otu family, John Out, was also victorious as he defeated Mohammed Abdusalam 2-1 (6-2, 6-7, 6-1) in the men’s singles category to advance into the round of 32.
But the third Otu in the game, Thomas, was not that lucky as he lost by 6-0, 7-5 in two straight sets to Danjuma Isaac.
In other matches, Michael Emmanuel defeated Ibrahim Aminu to advance, while Drimiya Mevi outclassed Seyi Ogunsakin by beating him 2-1 (6-7, 6-3, 6-1). Action continues tomorrow when other top players, including the men’s singles top seed, Abua Cannice, join the chase for honours.