Africa Cup Of Nations 2012, Group A: Equatorial Guinea, Zambia Record Wins

Zambia have put themselves in a brilliant position to qualify for the Africa Cup of Nations quarterfinals for the second straight tournament with a surprise 2-1 win over Group A favorites Senegal. While Senegal have perhaps the best striking options in the entire tournament, the rest of their team didn’t look up to the task. The Lions’ midfield, defense, and goalkeeper Bouna Coundoul were all shocking in the first half, and Zambia’s two goals were well deserved.

Emmanuel Mayuka and Rainford Kalaba both provided good finishes, but their opportunities were gifted to them. Mayuka’s came in the 12th minute on a header, where the defense inexplicably allowed the 5-foot-9 forward to get his head on a ball on the edge of the six-yard area. The second goal came in the 20th minute, with the Senegal midfield nowhere to be found. Christopher Katongo had plenty of time and space to find Kalaba with a pass, and he finished calmly. Zambia would carry their 2-0 lead into halftime.

The pressure is now on Zambia to perform later on Saturday and in their subsequent matches. At the end of a wide-open match that looked like it would inexplicably end in a 0-0 draw, Equatorial Guinea finally found a late winner in front of their home fans in Bata, with Javier Balboa netting in the 87th minute to give his side a 1-0 victory. Libya will now need a miracle to advance as their strongest games lie ahead of them, while the hosts are in a great position to make the quarterfinals.

Equatorial Guinea had a goal incorrectly disallowed in the first half, when Libya goalkeeper and captain Samir Aboud committed a terrible howler, letting a shot go between his legs. Kily was flagged for offside even though he wasn’t interfering with play and the goal was ruled out.