Malawi

By Paul Rhys in Africa on January 15th, 2010
Photo from AFP

Unless you're one of that side's natural enemies, it's always a relief when the host nation of a major tournament stays in the competition.

Angola aren't yet out of the woods, but their 2-0 win over Malawi on Thursday put them in charge of their own destiny at the Africa Cup of Nations.

Malawi, of course, aren't exactly delighted at missing the chance to be the first team into the quarter-finals.

But half the thrill of these matches comes from the energy of the crowd, and I was glad to see Angola hold on to the points that could see their boisterous fans back to the cauldron of the November 11 stadium beyond the next match.

By Paul Rhys in Africa on January 11th, 2010

pitch.jpg

Less than two months ago, Algeria were celebrating qualifying for their first World Cup since 1986 by climbing the goalposts in Khartoum after a 1-0 playoff win against Egypt.

On Monday the Desert Foxes drove their fans up the wall by being deservedly thumped 3-0 by Malawi - ranked 99th in the world and statistically the worst team at the Africa Cup of Nations.

Malawi have not reached the continental tournament since 1984, losing by the same score to Algeria on March 5 that year and finishing bottom of their group with one point.

Now they are riding high two points clear at the top of Group A with the chance to qualify for the quarter-finals if they win their next match against Angola - a result that would leave the hosts' progress on a knife edge.

Al Jazeera Live

What's Hot


Recent Comments

This work is licensed under Creative Commons. Please read our attribution policy.