Zambia v Ivory Coast.

The African Cup of Nations concludes tonight in Libreville for the final between Zambia and Ivory Coast.

Many people expected Ivory Coast to make it to the final and they have done just. Can the elephants win the whole tournament and claim their first African Cup of Nations since 1992 or can Zambia claim their first win in their first final appearance. Ivory Coast have not conceded a goal all tournament so breaking down the Ivorian back line will be tough for the Zambians however the likes of Emmanuel Mayuka and Chris Katongo will be up to the task. Zambia defied the odds to reach the final first shocking the tournament by beating the much fancied Senegal 2-1 in their opening game and winning group b following some more positive results. They then shocked again, Emmanuel Mayuka grabbing a winner 10 minutes from the end to defeat one of the favorites, Ghana.

It shall be great game that may go right to the wire, but there is no question who the favorites are it's all about Zambia stepping up to the mark and maybe they can steal the victory with all the pressure on the Ivory Coast.

Ghana v Tunisia

The much fancied Ghana take on Tunisia in Franceville in the last quarter final of the day.

Ghana qualified as expected in first place in group a brushing off ,Mali and Guinea to claim top spot and the Ghanians haven't hit full gear yet so it expected for them to come all guns blazing. The Tunisians on the other hand eased past their north African rivals, Morocco to seal a 2nd place finish in group c and will be reliant on M'Sakni to produce similar magic that allowed him to score the 2 against Morocco in Tunisia's opening match.
I expect the Ghanians to take the victory in this game although the Tunisia have performed decently so far, they could push the Ghanians to penalties. However it is certain it will be nothing short of a thriller.

Equatorial Guinea v Ivory Coast

Equatorial Guinea play their first African cup of nations quarter final after qualfying in 2nd place in group A. 

 Not many expected Equatorial Guinea to make the quarter finals however good heart and character seen them qualify with a game to spare, beating Libya and Senegal in order to qualify. The African minnows should give the Ivory Coast a good game as it certain the crowd will be behind them all the way. They have also proved to be not a bad side hence the reason they qualfied for the quarters, with the likes of Randy and Juvenal being key players in the Equatorial Guinea side. We cannot of course rule out the Ivory Coast from this tie as they did qualify for the quarters with a 100% record however they haven't really shown the quality expected from their top players who play in European league's.

The hosts will be expected to say their goodbye's in the game after it is felt the supreme talent of the Ivory Coast team will prove to be too strong for a spirted, Equatorial Guinea side.

Zambia v Sudan

Sudan play their first quater final in the African Cup of Nations since they won the tournament in 1970. 

Sudan qualified for the quarter finals following their first win in African Cup of Nations since 1970 with a 2-1 win over Burkina Faso on Monday night. Also relying on a 2-0 win for Ivory Coast over Angola to go through on goal difference. Meanwhile, Zambia sealed their quarter final place and top spot in group A with a 1-0 win over co-hosts Equatorial Guinea, Chris Katongo grabbing the only goal of the game. Zambia will be however competing in their second quater finals in the tournament in a row after qualfying in 2010 in Angola. Although this time they will hopeful to get to the Semi final.


The game should be an open affair however it seems like it will go the way of Zambia as Sudan have failed to show any real quality only beating a poor Burkina Faso side 2-1. Zambia have shown real quality since the opening game with players like Chris Katongo and Emmanuel Mayuka making a real impact on the tournament.