Africa Cup of Nations 2013: Nigeria, Zambia both held to draws

Angola made the first change, withdrawing its wingers and leaving Manucho Gonçalves as the lone striker because the Sable Antelopes couldn’t find the ball in the midfield. This left them with a 4-2-3-1 for the rest of the first half.

In the second half, they went back to a straight-up 4-3-3, and they found more success getting the ball wide and running at Morocco’s back line.

South Africa continue to disappoint on the international stage. The hosts of the Africa Cup of Nations have been a fairly poor side for the better part of a decade now, and expectant home fans in Johannesburg probably thought they were going to see a lively and lethal side. Instead, their team did not look great going forward, and Cape Verde were able to grab a point fairly comfortably in a 0-0 draw.

The first half was the poorer of the two, though not much of either half was truly exciting. Ryan Mendes was Cape Verde’s best player, but his teammates were rarely on the same page when he attempted to create chances. Siphiwe Tshabalala was his side’s most consistent threat after halftime and forced Vozinha into a couple of saves, but was substituted in the 60th minute.