Football comes into focus - for now

Football comes into focus - for now

Football became the primary concern in Angola for 90 minutes on Sunday night and there could hardly have been a more electrifying opening to this 27th Africa Cup of Nations, as the hosts blitzed four goals past Mali before the visitors fought back for a draw in an unfeasible close to the game.

With Togo now out of the tournament following the killing of three people on their team bus three days ago, Sunday's match allowed sporting hyperbole to take centre stage here in Luanda following the grim realities of violence in the northern enclave of Cabinda.

The Angolan support have been as much apprehensive as excited about their team's prospects in this tournament, especially against a Mali team boasting stars from top sides like European Champions Barcelona and their Galactico rivals Real Madrid.

But it was a Manchester United reject and a striker now plying his trade for Al Shabab in Saudi Arabia who lit up the 50,000 capacity November 11 stadium and put Angola seemingly on their way to a dominant position in Group A.

That the winning position crafted by Manucho and Flavio was squandered is a lesson in how skill and tactics count for little once the confidence is drained from a team.

To say the Angolan fans were forgiving of their side's collapse would be stretching it, but a football pitch is no place for perspective.

"The president should take the team and put them in prison," said one disappointed man afterwards.

At 4-0 up and cruising with just over 10 minutes left on the clock, Angola keeper Fernandes Carlos allowed a harmless cross to squirm out of his gloves for Barca's Seydou Keita to prod home.

Carlos, who had saved fantastically at the feet of Real Madrid's Mahamadou Diarra with the score at 2-0, looked like a man who was dwelling on his mistake and the previously irresistible hosts let Mali back into the match.

Gone was the efficient mopping up of Chara in front of the Angola back four, who had barely given Mali a glimmer before Keita's strike.

Captain Kali had Mali striker Frederic Kanoute in his pocket for the entire match before the Sevilla man unleashed an unstoppable long-range shot past Carlos at the end of 90 minutes.

Angola looked beaten at 4-2 up, and Mali almost effortlessly scored two more in added time.

The hosts face a test of character to stay in the tournament, with Algeria given the chance to go top of Group A when they take on Malawi in Luanda on Monday.

It is the first chance to have a proper look at the Algeria team following their World Cup playoff victory against Egypt in November.

England manager Fabio Capello, United States coach Bob Bradley and Slovenia's Matjaž Kek will be among those watching as they assess Algeria ahead of their teams' World Cup Group C matches with the North Africans in June.

Of more immediate consequence is Cote d'Ivoire's match against Burkina Faso in Cabinda, the northern territory where Friday's attack on the Togo team took place.

Ghana were due to meet Togo on Monday but must wait to play Cote d'Ivoire on January 15 in what is now a three-team Group B.

With the separatist group Flec threatening to continue their campaign of violence, how the organisers handle the clear and present security risk in the region will be top of the agenda.