THE NATION WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 30, 2013
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AFCON 2013
NATION SPORT
Adebayor focused on scoring goals, not showing off E
M M A N U E L ADEBAYOR says he is not worried about making an impression at the African Cup of Nations. He just wants to score goals. The Togo captain has shrugged off criticism that he is yet to dazzle at the event, saying that his focus is not to show off his skills but to help his team to advance. And so far, it’s going to plan. The Tottenham striker scored his first goal of the tournament in a 2-0 win over Algeria on Saturday, a result that left Togo needing just a draw against Tunisia in their final Group D match on Wednesday to reach the quarterfinals for the first time. “The most important thing is not to see the great Adebayor, but to see a goalscoring Adebayor,” he said. “My mission is to score goals. If people think that they haven’t seen the great Adebayor, so be it. I haven’t come here for fame and glory. I came here to win matches.” Adebayor was Togo’s biggest threat in the opener against Ivory Coast but missed a few key opportunities to score and help avoid his team’s 2-1 loss. One of his unlikely misses came less than three minutes into the match, when he failed to score from close range despite having only the goalkeeper to beat. He wasn’t superb again in the second match at Royal Bafokeng Stadium, but found the net after a breakaway in the 32nd minute, sending a low shot underneath the charging Algerian goalkeeper. A late goal by teammate Dove Wome sealed a crucial victory. “I’m delighted to have
—Gervinho IVORIAN striker Gervinho, on top form since the start of the AFCON, prefers on focusing on the importance of the group, as he explained at the end of his match against Tunisia. • Adebayor
scored my first goal (in the African Cup),” he said. “The first goal is always important and I hope that there will be many more to come.” Adebayor, who was struggling with Tottenham before joining up with Togo, has also shown his leadership off the field, using his status as a top international player to bring attention to the problems involving his national team. Adebayor was fighting for his teammates’ rights even before the African Cup started.
He threatened not to play at the tournament because of security concerns and disagreements with Togo’s federation over bonus payments for players. “Someone had to take action and, as the captain, I did it,” the striker said. “If the government, the people and everyone else are willing to roll up their sleeves and believe in Togo, we can achieve great things together.” Togolese football has been marred by distractions in
Khune vows to improve S OUTH AFRICA goalkeeper Itumeleng Khune was disappointed with his own performance during the 2-2 Africa Cup of Nations draw with Morocco. The 25-year-old made a number of saves as the hosts progressed to the knockout rounds of the tournament, but the absence of a clean sheet left him dissatisfied. “Honestly speaking I don’t think that was my best performance,” he told Goal.com. “There were a couple of mistakes that I made, which cost the team. There were those crucial saves that I made which also saved the team as well, but overall I don’t think I did justice to myself. “I didn’t keep the clean sheet as I had wished and I think there is still a lot of work to be done. If you look into the first goal that Morocco scored you would realise that it wasn’t supposed to be a goal. “At the end of the day we did well, once again it was a team effort and I am hoping that going forward I will improve on my mistakes.” Khune also said that the fans played a crucial role in lifting team morale and believs that their collective spirit could see them go far in the tournament. “It was crazy out there; I think playing in Durban has been amazing. The support that you
Everyone is important
get from the fans just makes you humble and inspires you to work even harder,” he added. “One thing that I think has
brought us this far is character and I hope that my players will carry that through going forward to the next round.”
FTER your second win, could we say that Côte d’Ivoire have had a good start in this AFCON? It was the perfect reaction from us. After the first match, we had our hearts set on doing something good. Personally, I feel good thanks to the team. We had this strong desire to do things well and in the end, we won by three goals. I think that it is important for the group, the life of the group and for the rest of the tournament. How do you anticipate the last group match? We are going to prepare for it as we do for all the others and head into it in the same way. Algeria is a great team and us too, we have our weapons. We have this collective force and the experience that allows us to cope with difficult situations in our game today. We showed solidarity and we will play the last match in the same spirit. You have already qualified for the next round. Will this have an impact on your performance? We came to play six finals. We have won two of them. The match against Algeria will be our third final. The fact that we have qualified shouldn’t impact negatively on our game. We are going to do what we know how to do, play our game. Because all the matches also allow us
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recent years. The team had to withdraw from the 2010 African Cup of Nations in Angola after two team officials and a driver were killed, and one player was seriously injured, when gunmen ambushed their bus. Togo did not qualify for last year’s event in Gabon and Equatorial Guinea. Togo failed to advance past the group stage the previous seven times it played the African Cup. The fact that it’s now one match away from making it happen this time, is thanks in great part to Adebayor. “I’m here to help Togo win, nothing more,” he said. “If you want to see me having fun, then you meet me in May during my holidays. Now I’m all about business.”
to correct the weak areas for the matches to follow. For this match against Algeria, we’re going to give everything. You will be playing an Algerian team coached by your former national coach, Vahid Halihodzic. Can we look forward to a good game? It certainly is a pleasure to meet up with coach Vahid again. He is a coach who contributed to the maturity of our group. Algeria eliminated us from the competition in 2010. This will be a nice opportunity for us to put things straight. So you can expect a good game of football. Gervinho is excelling in this tournament. Do you have a particular secret? It is not Gervinho who is excelling, it’s a whole group that is playing for a common goal: that of winning the trophy. When you have a common goal and you decide to reach it, you all work together. That is what we do on the pitch. Remain unified, play as a team and with a lot of desire. My personal performance has no meaning in my eyes. It’s the group. It is true that a player can cause you to win a match, but we will win this trophy with 23. I feel good in the group and I think that it is the same for the others. Yaya Touré, Traoré Lacina, Kalunho, Maestro... each is as important as the next. That is essential.
Chipenda: Angola will be back
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• Khune
ORMER Angola midfielder Raul Neves Chipenda says the current team have a bright future despite enduring a disappointing 2013 Africa Cup of Nations. The 2-1 loss to Cape Verde on Sunday saw the Sable Antelopes dumped out of the continental championship, although for 82 minutes they were heading to the quarterfinals, along with South Africa, until two goals in quick succession saw the Blue Sharks claim their place in the last-eight. Chipenda acknowledged that Cape Verde had played to their strengths on the night, but as a young team they will use this tournament as vital experience for their 2014 World Cup qualifying campaign. And after their defeat on Sunday, Chipenda explained: “I think in this game Cape Verde had a very, very big team and they knew that was their weapon.”
• Gervinho