Nations Cup 2013: BBC reporters pick their highlights
Nigeria
are continuing to celebrate their third Africa Cup of Nations triumph,
while Burkina Faso have spoken of their pride in reaching a continental
final for the first time.
The BBC's team in South Africa
covered every kick across radio, television and online throughout the
finals and here some of them reflect on their highlights of the
tournament.
JOHN BENNETT
Player
of the tournament: He ran out of steam against Nigeria in the final but
without their inspirational midfielder Charles Kabore, Burkina Faso
would have got nowhere near that showpiece. I spoke to the team's
fitness coach and he told me Kabore ran further than any other player in
the quarter-final against Togo, but recovered quicker than anyone else
before the semi-final against Ghana, when he was by far the best player
on the pitch. Alain Traore's goals grabbed the headlines but Kabore made
Burkina Faso tick. I'd love to see him play in the English Premier
League.
2013 NATIONS CUP
Winners: Nigeria (52nd in Fifa rankings)
Runners-up: Burkina Faso (92)
Semi-finalists: Mali (25) and Ghana (26)
Top scorers (four goals): Mubarak Wakaso (Ghana) and Emmanuel Emenike (Nigeria)
Team
of the tournament: I had the pleasure of spending a lot of time with
the Togo team in the early stages of what was a very emotional few weeks
for the Sparrow Hawks. They were playing at the finals for the first
time since the horrific attack on their team bus in Cabinda before the
2010 tournament. Ahead of their first match, I spoke to vice-captain
Serge Akakpo, who was shot in the back during that incident, and he told
me before every training session they pray for the victims. Against all
the odds - and inspired by striker Emmanuel Adebayor - Togo reached the
quarter-finals after a stunning win over Algeria and were unlucky not
to reach the last four.
Best match: The semi-final between
Burkina Faso and Ghana will be remembered for an awful performance by
the referee - who was suspended the day after the match - but it was
great entertainment. The Black Stars took the lead after 13 minutes from
a controversial penalty and after that it was end-to-end stuff. Cult
hero Aristide Bance equalised, Burkina Faso's star player Joanathan
Pitroipa was sent off and they had a legitimate goal ruled out. Then
came the penalty shoot-out and more heartbreak for Ghana as Emmanuel
Agyemang-Badu missed the crucial spot kick. Surely the most dramatic
match of the tournament.
Best goal: In one of the worst
matches of the tournament - against Algeria in the group stage -
Tunisia's Youssef Msakni came up with a moment of magic. The winger -
who has been linked with Arsenal in the past - swerved past one Algeria
defender and from 25 yards curled the ball into the back of the net to
give his side a precious 1-0 victory against their local rivals.
Favourite
moment of the tournament: Interviewing an emotional Serge Akakpo in the
Togo team hotel and then watching him help the team to reach the
knockout stages. Also, seeing the Nigerian journalists totally lose it
in the press box when Sunday Mba scored the winning goal against Ivory
Coast in the quarter-final and commentating on Joseph Yobo - who was
always great to interview - lifting the Cup of Nations trophy in his
sixth and final tournament.
Rate the hosts: The South African
people were very welcoming and the stadiums were fantastic but the buzz
around the tournament felt very different to a year ago when I was in
the city of Libreville in Gabon. That was a much smaller place and they
weren't used to hosting such big events so the excitement levels were
huge. But here in South Africa it was very different, particularly in a
place like Rustenburg where the attendances were poor. Having said that
the atmosphere at the final was fantastic and the people of Johannesburg
made it an occasion to remember.
NICK CAVELL
Cape Verde striker Heldon Ramos celebrates his historic goal against Angola
Player
of the tournament: Ghana's Mubarak Wakaso gets my vote after having
started the tournament without playing a competitive game and ending it
as the tournament's joint top scorer. His work rate impressed in all the
games that he played and he certainly didn't look out of place
alongside the talents of Kwadwo Asamoah and Emmanuel Ageymang-Badu in
the Black Stars' midfield. His ability from the dead ball meant that
Ghana always looked a threat. But he does need to watch his discipline -
getting a second yellow card against Mali for a goal celebration showed
a little immaturity. He will also have to learn to cope with pressure
after missing a penalty in the third-place play-off loss to Mali that
would have won him the tournament's golden boot.
Team of the
tournament: No-one gave Cape Verde a chance going into the tournament
and they proved everyone wrong from the start to the final whistle of
their campaign. They frustrated hosts South Africa and silenced the
partisan crowd in the opening match. They led against Morocco and looked
the better team for most of that Group A match. They came from a goal
down to beat Angola in the final 10 minutes. And in the only game they
lost, they outplayed Ghana in their quarter-final. No-one will
underestimate Cape Verde in the future and, along with Ethiopia and
Burkina Faso, they proved the old cliche that there are no small teams
in football anymore.
Best match: After two very poor opening
games in Group A, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Ghana brought the
tournament to life with their 2-2 draw in Port Elizabeth. Ghana took
the lead, despite looking vulnerable at the back, with a well-worked
goal that Ageymang-Badu slid home after a cross from Asamoah, who later
headed a goal of his own. The two strikes came five minutes either side
of half-time and Ghana looked set for a comfortable win. But DR Congo's
attacking threats, Tresor Mputu Mabi, Dieumerci Mbokani and Lomana
LuaLua never gave up and caused the Ghana defence real problems. Mputu
Mabi's neat finish and a controversial Mbokani penalty saw a highly
entertaining game end all square.
Best goal: Heldon's winner
for Cape Verde against Angola maybe not have been the most spectacular
but the celebrations it sparked and what it meant for his country make
it a stand-out moment. His side were drawing 1-1 in added time and
heading out of the tournament but they refused to give up and Heldon
took his chance in some style to smash home a winner that put his side
in the last eight at their debut tournament.
Favourite moment
of the tournament: Seeing Cape Verde coach Lucio Antunes racing around
the Nelson Mandela Bay stadium with his national flag after the win over
Angola and then the team mobbing him during the post-match press
conference. He didn't let go of the flag until after he left the
stadium.
Rate the hosts: The stadiums were great and, as was
expected, most things worked smoothly, but as always the lack of crowds
was a problem. In Port Elizabeth you never really felt a buzz around the
city or a sense that the tournament was happening. The much-maligned
pitch in Nelspruit also really let the hosts down.
ALEX CAPSTICK
Player
of the tournament: Nigeria midfielder Victor Moses stood out, which
wasn't difficult early on in the tournament in a Nigerian time that took
its time to get going - but he was also influential when the team
improved.
Team of the tournament: The champions, Nigeria.
Fast, flowing football from the Super Eagles whose young players have
grown in stature. They were a revelation in the quarter-final against
Ivory Coast and proved it was no fluke with an even better performance
against Mali in the last four.
Best match: Without doubt, the
second semi-final between Ghana and Burkina Faso, in Nelspruit. It was
an end-to-end affair and produced a defiant performance from the
Burkinabe in the face of some shocking decisions by the referee.
Best
goal: Super Eagles strike Emmanuel Emenike's bullet for Nigeria against
Ivory Coast was unstoppable, as it spurred them on to a 2-1 win over
the pre-tournament favourites.
Favourite moment of the
tournament: Whenever the Ethiopians came to town. The best supporters I
have seen at any Africa Cup of Nations tournament I have covered.
Rate
the hosts: The media facilities were hopeless and information was
sometimes difficult to obtain. But the teams seemed happy playing in
world-class stadiums - if not on world-class playing surfaces in some of
them - and the locals were terrific.
MATTHEW KENYON
Hosts South Africa improved after a sluggish opening game against Cape Verde
Player
of the tournament: Burkina Faso captain Charles Kabore - a man of
seemingly endless energy who powered the Stallions to the final, not
least because it was frequently him who created the chances for
Pitroipa, Traore and Bance up front. An exceptional talent.
Team
of the tournament: : The team I enjoyed watching the most were Burkina
Faso - for the chances, the goal-scorers and the drama. But I think my
team of the tournament has to be Nigeria, for the way they shrugged off a
sluggish group campaign to see off Ivory Coast and power past Mali into
the final. Some brilliant youngsters to watch out for and a team for
the future.
Best match: The best game that I saw in person was
the quarter-final between Mali and South Africa in Durban. It was not
technically the best performance from either side, but the hosts played
their hearts out in the Moses Mabhida stadium, only to come to grief in
the shoot-out. Bafana Bafana tried everything to break down the
formidable Malian defence, who weathered it all. The Eagles knew what
they were doing and did it well.
Best goal: Three contenders:
Sunday Mba's winner in the final, Youssef Msakni's strike against
Algeria in the group stage and Alain Traore's second against Ethiopia
for Burkina Faso in an emphatic 4-0 win. Traore gets my nod.
Favourite
moment of the tournament: The moment we realised Burkina Faso were
going to make a real impact, namely Traore's late, late equaliser in the
opening group game against Nigeria. A personal dislike of the trip was
the moment when South African fans decided they had seen enough during
the penalty shoot-out against Mali. The team had given their all but the
majority of people in the stadium couldn't be bothered to stay and
thank them.
Rate the hosts: I thought the South African team
played themselves to a standstill in the quarter-final against Mali, and
their win over Angola in their second group game was great to see.
South Africa keeper Itumeleng Khune stood out for his outstanding
distribution, midfielder Dean Furman for his amazing work-rate and if
Thulani Serero had been able to have more influence they might have
looked even better. It was a grim opening match against Cape Verde, but
they really improved after that - and all credit must go to coach Gordon
Igesund.
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