CAN 2017--Round Three

Karibuni Sana Syndicate Members,

The Third Round of every international football tournament forces us to move at a faster clip. Fixtures played during the final round of group play kick off simultaneously…for very good reasons. The drama of each individual match cannot be dampened by any of the competitive participants on any given squad playing for either a draw or narrow victory. 

Every player must give every ounce of effort in the hopes of living to play another day. “Calculative Slacking” must be obviated at all costs. Much more importantly, shady bookies must be denied the opportunity to interfere with the sport by manipulatively buying off players who’ve already been eliminated from the competition ; )

A hilarious “Mailbag Section” is in the works, thanks to the few Syndicate Members who wrote in with some lovely disparaging comments that deserve well thought-out “counter-riffs” Thank you, brothers. For now, we’ll focus on the “Big News”:

Reader: What happened to Terri Leigh? Where’s my dumb blonde?

Vicey: Bwahahahahaha. I don’t know. No clue. Hate to speculate, but it’s just too much fun not to.

Perhaps her Labor Costs were too high for “bein Sports”….or however they wish to spell it. A shapely blonde in a studio costs a lot of money, even if she doesn’t have a desk or a screen. The camera grips and the lights alone probably cost $5,000 dollars per hour. Factor in the cost of the young lady’s “makeup/wardrobe team” and the cost/benefit analysis just didn’t pan out.

 

Farewell, Terri. You were too high maintenance and you cost us too much money.

After careful consideration, “bein Sports” opted to…suppressing serious gut-busting laughter here...“ditch the bitch”. ; ) ; )

Good luck to you, Terri ; )   

My Updated Stats:

Spread: 9-7

Straight Up: 10-2-4

 16) Uganda 

(Previously #13)

We have our first elimination. Unsurprising. East African teams will continue to underperform for the foreseeable future. Your friendly bookie has nothing else to say. A re-post is in order to explain my affinity for East Africa:

From CAN 2017: Syndicate: Into Darkness

Always nice to see an East African Team in the tournament. Ethiopia was gracious enough to fill the slot in 2013. Sadly, no one was able to step up in 2015, further fueling my woefully quixotic dreams of seeing either Kenya or Tanzania in an AFCON Tournament before the end of my short natural life. Your friendly bookie’s peculiar fascination with East Africa absolutely has something to do with his study of Kiswahili and the all-too-brief sojourn he undertook there. 

It nevertheless runs deeper much deeper than a few personal experiences. East Africa is irrefutably the locale in which the human race evolved. One cannot deny that. We started walking upright there. We manufactured a few crude tools there. We somehow came up with the unique idea of coming down from the trees to do a bit of strategic scavenging without getting eaten by vociferous jungle cats…THERE! It’s our home. We ALL came from there.

 LINEUP—The Cranes—MATCH ONE—4-1-3-2 

Geofrey Massa   Farouk Miya

Tony Mawejje            Luwagga Kizito

Micheal Azira

Geoffrey Kizito

J. Ochaya   H. Isinde  H. Assawa D. Iguma

Denis Oyango

 LINEUP—The Cranes—MATCH TWO—4-1-4-1 

Geofrey Massa

Tony Mawejje                Joseph Ochaya

Geoffrey Kizito  Khalid Aucho

Farouk Miya

G. Walusimbi  H. Wasswa  M. Juuko D. Iguma

Denis Oyango

Any way you slice it, it still doesn’t work. They had their chance to pounce upon a frazzled Egyptian side…and wasted it ; (

 15) Guinea-Bissau 

(Previously #6)

It was a truly special goal. Piqueti chested down the ball, one-footed it past the last defender, then struck home a marvelous finish. They still got dismantled..just as your friendly bookie predicted they would. It’s better if the best team wins. Sorry. I hope Rudinilson Silva finds a new club. Zezinho needs to find a way out of Greece. Emmanuel Mendy needs to find a way out of Romania. Francisco Junior can do better than Norway. Frederic Mendy can do better than South Korea.

All the love in the world to this team for making it this far in spite of the fact that their National Football Association didn’t even have the money to purchase them a real training pitch.

Cinderella Stories enhance the dreams of every prospective footballer….but they all have to come to end sometime ; (

 LINEUP—Djurtus—MATCH ONE—4-5-1 

Abel Camara

Joao Mario   Zezinho  Toni Silva

Francisco Junior           Nani Soares

Agostinho Soares       Thomas Dabo

Juary Soares    Rudlinson Silva

Jonas Mendes

 LINEUP—Djurtus—MATCH TWO—4-3-3 

Frederic Mendy

Piqueti                     Toni Silva

Zezinho

Francisco Jr.       Nani Soares

M. Cande J. Soares R. Silva T. Dabo

Jonas Mendes

Interesting…but it still won’t work. Piqueti earned his place on the team, but he’ll fare no better than Zezinho or Frederic Mendy when it comes to the sustained physical and mental effort that tournament football demands.

Sorry.

 14) Algeria 

(Previously #9)

Rotten luck. Plenty of early initiative from Mahrez and Slimani. Decent movement from most of the eleven after falling behind. Ghezzal and Bentaleb poured forward with tenacity in search of the equalizer. Regrettably, it ended up costing them a soft penalty. The injury-time consolation goal showed what class this team can exhibit given enough space and creative capacity.

Can they pick apart a red-hot Senegalese team to earn a place in the Quarterfinals?

Considering that the Terragans have already qualified, I’m willing to bet on it. They’ll make it.

 LINEUP—The Desert Foxes—MATCH ONE—4-4-2 

Islam Slimani  E.A. Hillel Soundani

Riyad Mahrez              Yacine Brahimi

Nabil Bentaleb   A. Guedioura

Faouzi Ghoulam                Mokhtar Belkhiter

Ramsi Bensebaini Aissa Mandi

Rais M’Bohli

 LINEUP—The Desert Foxes—MATCH TWO—4-5-1 

Islam Slimani

Racid Ghezzal           Yacine Brahimi

Riyad Mahrez        Nabil Bentaleb

Adlene Guedioura

F. Ghoulam R. Bensebaini A. Mandi M.B. Meftah

Rais M’Bohli

A tactically-minded eleven dropped Mahrez further back than he needed to be. Bentaleb on the right side constituted a “Derby Decision”. Guedioura as a defensive midfielder would have made perfect sense, had the Foxes not fallen behind shortly after the restart. Ghezzal won’t be missed. 

 13) Zimababwe 

(Previously #8)

And….thanks for playing. “Cinderella Candidates” need to go home at some point. We all love the story, but sometime the shoe simply doesn’t fit. Absolute domination from a vastly superior squad. Nothing positive to report about these boys. They’re going home. I sincerely hope that Nyasha Mushekwi and Kudakwasche Mahachi sign some fat contracts soon.

 LINEUP—The Warriors—MATCH ONE—4-4-2 

Nyasha Mushekwi Knowledge Musona

Kudakwashe Mahachi    Willard Katsande

Danny Phiri                             Khama Billiat

Onsimor Bhasera                      Costa Nhamoinesu

Elisha Muroiwa       Hardlife Zvirekwi

Tatenda Mukurva

 LINEUP—The Warriors—MATCH TWO—4-3-3 

Nyasha Mushekwi

Matthew Ruskike    Kudakwasche Mahachi

Khama Billiat

Willard Katsande                 Marvelous Nakamba

O. Bhasera   C. Nahoinesu  E. Moruoiwa H. Zvirekwi

Tatenda Mukurva

Goodbye Warriors. Sorry about Mugabe being your President. Sorry about Trump being our President. Sorry about Knowledge Musona not starting.

Sorry, sorry, sorry

 12) Egypt 

(Previously #12)

A narrow escape against the Ugandans? No. The Pharaohs find themselves in a deep identity crisis. They’re just not any good. The mighty Pharaohs have fallen, with no hope for the immediate future. Your friendly bookie saw this coming as he sat down to complete his initial write-up in the Introductory Section. The whole country is a just a confused collection of shattered pieces.

It’s all over. Hate to enclose a “re-post”, but it most accurately summarizes how I feel about this country and this team.

From “CAN 2017: Syndicate: Into Darkness”

The once-mighty Pharaohs return after winning three consecutive African Cup of Nations Titles, then failing to qualify for three consecutive African Cup of Nations tournaments. Yes, you read that correctly. Read it again: THREE consecutive titles (2006, 2008, 2010). THREE consecutive failures to qualify (2012, 2013, 2015). Gentlemen, I give you the most spectacular implosion in all of international footballing history. 

The revolutionary spirit of the Arab Spring quickly degenerated into the Port Said Stadium Massacre, dooming the national program to play their fixtures in empty stadiums. All hope of cultivating some semblance of spirit and morale was lost. Your friendly bookie had every intention of inserting a glib topical Bob Bradley Joke into this introductory paragraph when he began writing it, but now finds himself far too sullen to even make a feeble attempt ; ( 

So little has been accomplished by the populist revolt in early 2011. Some may legitimately argue that absolutely nothing was accomplished at a terrible cost. One strongman has been replaced by another. Thousands of innocent lives have been lost. A large population has now soured on the very idea of representative democracy for the foreseeable future. The whole damn vicious circle of a cycle makes one wonder whether or not it’s worth talking about football at all.

 LINEUP—The Pharaohs—MATCH ONE—4-5-1 

Ahmed Hassan

M. Hassan      A. Said      M. Salah

Mohammed El-Nenny Tarek Hamed

M.A. Shafy                                   A. Fathy

A. Gabr A. Hegazy

Ahmend El-Shanawy

 LINEUP—The Pharaohs—MATCH TWO—4-5-1 

Marwan Mohsen

Ramadan Sobi              Mahmoud Hassan

Mohammed Salah

Tarek Hamed    Mohammed El-Nenny

M.A Shafy  A Hegazy A. Gabr         A. Fathy

Essam El-Hadary

Once again I’m having difficulty keeping track of self-ordained right of these players to re-christen themselves with new names. How can these players expect to communicate with each other on the pitch when they remain unsure of which name they should be calling??!??

Consider this a textbook example of how to crush team spirit ; (

 11) Mali 

(Previously #7)

A few bright moments from Marega, who still has a bright future ahead of him and may yet tally in this tournament. Decent efforts from both Salif Coulibaly and Khalifa Coulibaly, neither one of whom is to be confused with the prospect I identified last round—Lassana Coulibaly. ; )

So it goes in the “Voltan” Regions of West Africa. Check out your friendly bookie’s attempts to keep track of the “Cinderella Aigles” in the 2015 tournament if you wish ; )

No “Cinderella Story” this time. Ghana will not beat the Egyptians by enough to erase the goal differential.

The next fixture is still worth tuning into, if only to see some damn cool Mali fans in the stands. Had a blast watching their “fan sections” this afternoon. 

 LINEUP—Les Aigles—MATCH ONE—4-2-1-3 

Moussa Marega

Bakary Sako       Sambo Yatabare

Lassana Coulibaly

Yacouba Sylla  Mamoutou N’Diaye

H. Traore  S. Coulibaly M. Wague O. Coulibaly

Oumar Sissoko

 LINEUP—Les Aigles—MATCH ONE—4-2-1-3 

Moussa Marega

Bakary Sako       Sambo Yatabare

Mustapha Yatabare

Yacouba Sylla  Mamoutou N’Diaye

H. Traore  S. Coulibaly M. Wague O. Coulibaly

Oumar Sissoko

One change for the Eagles. A curious move. Yatabare replacing the hungry Lassana Coulibaly? Difficult to ascertain the reasoning behind that change. But I’m not the coach…

 10) Togo 

(Previously #10)

Certainly started off promisingly enough with Dossevi’s fine finish as the trailer on those lightning-quick counterattack. The standard Liege midfielder actually had a great game on the right flank. Though the Hawks ultimately failed to establish a good rhythm, one couldn’t accuse the wingers of ever laying down. Lots of sweat invested there. On the topic of a player who simply refuses to quit, I miss Emmanuel Adebayor already. ; (

Why does this man have to go away? Why won’t at least a second-tier European Club sign him to mentor the youngsters? The former Premiership Star has been a favorite of this Sportsbook for nearly a decade. His tenacious play and imposing physical presence make him one of my all time favorite footballers.

Once again he was all over the pitch. His name was called no fewer than 40 times in the first half alone!

Looking very likely that Tuesday will constitute my last chance to hear his named called…forever.

Sullen times. Prepared to bid him farewell. ; (

 LINEUP—The Sparrow Hawks—MATCH ONE—4-4-2 

Kodjo Fo-Doh Laba   Emmanuel Adebayor

Ihlas Bebou                         Mathieu Dossevi

Lalawele Atakora  Floyd Ayite

Djene Dakonam                            Serge Gapke

Sadat Ouro-Akoriko Alaixys Romao

Kossi Agassi

 LINEUP—The Sparrow Hawks—MATCH TWO—4-4-2 

Kodjo Fo-Doh Laba   Emmanuel Adebayor

Ihlas Bebou                         Mathieu Dossevi

Lalawele Atakora  Floyd Ayite

Djene Dakonam                         Serge Gapke

Sadat Ouro-Akoriko Alaixys Romao

Kossi Agassi

No changes from Claude LeRoy…at least it didn’t appear so to my eyes. The same starting eleven with no modifications. For a sec it looked like Atakora and Ayite might have switched fields, but the way they rushed back to their positions leads me to conclude that they were given no special instructions.

I suppose LeRoy has found his best eleven. Sadly, they’re nowhere near good enough to get out of the group.  

 9) Gabon 

(Previously #14)

It would appear that the Quarterfinals are now out of reach for the hosts, though anything remains possible. Camacho made solid adjustments, but we still witnessed far too much draining ball chasing to retain much hope that a fatigued side have much hope of beating a streaking Cameroon. Those of us who had the time to watch the hosts square off against Burkina Faso watched a thoroughly entertaining match that left the even the viewers exhausted. 

Let’s not forget that these footballers are beholden to strenuous physical demands of tournament football. These mates are undoubtedly tired; perhaps too tired to face even the Cameroonian Second-Stringers.

Injuries mount. Maria Lemina, Johann Obiang, and Merlin Tandjora. It looked like Bouanga twisted something after that late effort too. Don’t quote me, but he appears hurt. Aubameyang likely has a few bruises after hitting the deck hard and being forced into desperate defensive measures. Rolling out the same back four encourages solidarity, but puts serious strain on the fullbacks. Palun can’t be expected to perform on the same level he has.

It’s likely over. Thanks for the support, hometown fans!  

 LINEUP—Les Pantheres—MATCH ONE—4-5-1 

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang

Dennis Bouanga   Mario Lemina     Malik Evouna

Didier N’Dong  Merlin Tandjigora

Johann Obiang                                  Lloyd Palun

Aaron Appindangoye Bruno Ecele Manga

Didier Ovono

 LINEUP—Les Pantheres—4-4-2 

P.E. Aubameyang Malik Evouna

Dennis Bouanga  Andre Bioyo-Poko

Merlin Tandjigora Didier N’Dong

Johann Obiang                                   Lloyd Palun

Aaron Appindangoye Bruno Ecele Manga

Didier Ovono

Definitely more attack-minded, with little to show for it. The Lemina Injury forced Evouna up front. It worked well two years ago, but didn’t come together this time. Dropping N’Dong and Tanjigora back a few yards in support of Bouanaga worked…until the failure of this team to convert on set-pieces once again sunk whatever forward play the lads could muster.

 8) Cote d’Ivoire 

(Previously #15)

Helluva match from the Defending Champions, even if the result left them in a rather precarious position. Sharp passing. Exquisite crosses. Sparkling tactics. All of it called by one of the best play-by-play announcers I’ve ever heard. Can I get the man’s name, please? This is horribly unfair, BEIN Sports? Love coverage that jettisons all the useless frills, but you can at least tell me the name of the bloody telecaster!!! Arargh.

Oh well. Not to get off tangent. Great performance from Bony, who proved he can still compete with just about anyone aerially. Great awareness from Zaha on the set-piece equalizer too, intuitively feeling that his fellow Premiership Player had his man beat and laying off the service. Serey Die once again directed traffic well.

Damn shame that Kalou’s finish didn’t count, but he was actually a step ahead of the back line. Had it not been for that slight mistake, we’d be discussing a victory.

Huge match ahead against the surging Moroccans. Your friendly bookie has already gone back and forth what seems like dozens of times in setting the line. So much depends on the Lineup. Dusseyer must find strike the right balance between the Old Guard and promising newbies.   

 LINEUP—Les Elephants—MATCH ONE—4-3-3 

Saloman Kalou  Jonathan Kodija    Wilfried Zaha

Jean Seri          Franck Kessie

Serey Die

Adama Traore                                   Serge Aurier

Wilfried Kanon  Eric Bailly

Sylvain Gbohouo

 LINEUP—Les Elephants—MATCH TWO—4-3-3 

Max Gradel       Wilfried Bony    Wilfried Zaha

Franck Kessie           Cheick Doukoure

Serey Die

Adama Traore                               Serge Aurier

Wilfired Kanon  Eric Bailly

Sylvain Gbohouo

The big guns come out. An all Premiership front line. Nice communication between Bony and Zaha, with Gradel also fully worth his salt in an unnatural position. Every right for Les Elephants to feel hard done by after a harsh result. Too much talent on this team to write them off.

 7) Burkina Faso 

(Previously #11)

Many thanks to Syndicate Member 33-M for correctly pointing out that your friendly bookie incorrectly chronicled the Stallion Lineup in his last post. I’m a very lucky man ; ) Good friends look out for me, reminding me when I happen to make one of those inevitable human clerical errors. We should all be so lucky. The Jonathan Pitroipa injury hurts my soul…as many of you might have guessed. Too much biased affinity for an FC Freiburg man.

Koffi remains an excellent keeper. The penalty was hardly his fault! Aubameyang skillfully heeled the ball forward as he was beginning his flailing tackle. What was the man supposed to do!?! He was set-up!

It was a great pleasure to formally meet Prejuce Nakoulma. Loved his discipline, poise, and concentration in scoring that goal. He did really well in dribbling forward in the second 45 too.

Let’s go, Stallions!

 LINEUP—The Stallions—MATCH ONE—4-5-1 

Bertrand Traore

Jonathan Pitroipa

Alain Traore           Prejuce Nakoulma

A.B. Traore  Charles Kabore

Y. Coulibaly B. Kano  I. Dayo P. Malo

Kouakou Koffi

 LINEUP—The Stallions—MATCH TWO—4-5-1 

Banou Diawara

Jonathan Pitroipa

Alain Traore         Jonathan Zongo

A.B Traore Charles Kabore

Y. Coulibaly B. Kano  I. Dayo P. Malo

Kouakou Koffi

Yacouba Coulibaly’s nasty knock to the head is another blow. Bertrand Traore and Prejuce Nakoulma should still start the next match together up front in a modified 4-4-2. It’s clearer than the purest of all daylight. The path forward looks promising.  

 6) Tunisia 

(Previously #16)

Always a pleasure to be proven dead wrong. The “Desert Derby” defied my prognostications fully, even if there was some luck involved. Mathlouthi weathered the initial storm well, enabling his outfielders to take control of the tempo and force a stalemate. Nagguez’s ambition deserves plaudits, but the keeper deserves most of the credit for shutting down all of the early chances from the Fennecs.

Auspicious Scheduling means the Eagles will likely punch through, but we’re still not dealing with a convincing team here. The flukish own goal almost defied physics. The so-called “penalty against Ghoulam” was a textbook example of a well-sold “Wop-Flop” after minimal next-to-nothing contact. Khazri executed the “clever play”.

Not feeling this team. Cheating is never acceptable. Though they’ll likely best the Warriors, they should prove doormats cometh the real challenge.

 LINEUP—The Eagles of Carthage—MATCH ONE—4-3-3 

Youssef Mskani                      Naimi Sliti

Ahmed Akaichi

Hamza Lahmar  Ferjani Sassi  Larry Azouni

Ali Maaloul                                Hamdi Nagguez

Syam Ben-Youssef Aymen Abdennour

Ayem Mathlouthi

 LINEUP—The Eagles of Carthage—MATCH TWO—4-1-3-2 

Ahmed Akaichi           Youssef Mskani

M.A. Ben Amor   Naim Sliti   Whabi Khazri

Ferjani Sassi

Ali Maaloul                                Hamdi Nagguez

Syam Ben-Youssef Aymen Abdennour

Ayem Mathlouthi

A significantly better lineup. Sassi works best as an anchoring midfielder. Akaichi needs to play as a forward. Mohammed Amine Ben Amor deserves to start. It still felt like a garbage win.

Cannot trust them.

5) Ghana

(Previously #4)

Yawn. Never in this bookie’s worst nightmares did this bookie think he’d be describing our beloved Black Stars as “boring”. Very nearly passed out on the couch watching the opening ten minutes. Fortunately the hard working Atsu confirmed my recently published theories about him around the 11^th. The Newcastle man is insane. He’s POSSESSED. He’s grabbed his chances in this tournament by the short hairs. He’ll stride into the jungle and fight a voracious lion with a fucking toothpick!

Amazing heart from this guy. He darts, bobs, and weaves through clustered defenses with no regard for his own safety. He got the team up and running. After orchestrating numerous attacks over the ensuing ten minutes or so, Jordan Ayew and Asamoah Gyan linked up for a glorious goal.

How about those “Get Well Baba Rahman” T-Shirts? I love this team and this country. They’ve got so much class. ; ) John Paintsil shall never be forgotten ; )

Indeed, the second half saw the “Gold Coast Playas” back on their heels on a few occasions. Avram Grant likes to play it close to the vest. It’s highly likely that they’ll give us another less than stellar squeaker against the Egyptians on Wednesday.

They’re storing it all up for something special. One just senses it.

 LINEUP—OUR Black Stars—MATCH ONE—4-4-2 

Jordan Ayew                     Asamoah Gyan

Christian Atsu     Andre Ayew

Wakaso Mubarak Thomas Partey

Baba Rahman                       Harrison Afful

John Boye  Daniel Amartey

Brima Razak

 LINEUP—OUR Black Stars—MATCH TWO—4-4-2 

Jordan Ayew                  Asamoah Gyan

Andre Ayew   Christian Atsu

Wakaso Mubarak  Thomas Partey

F. Acheampong                    Harrison Afful

John Boye  Daniel Amartey

Brima Razak

Looked as if Ayew and Atsu switched field positions, though it was hard to tell. If I’m right about that adjustment, I like the idea of keeping the brothers on the same side of the pitch. Grant would do well to deep six the whole idea until a crucial semi-final match. They shouldn’t spend too much time together, lest communication degenerate into rivalry.

4) Morocco

(Previously #5)

A well-managed team. Kudos to Herve Renard for making some very intelligent adjustments. Reformatting to a 5-3-2 is a gamble that puts a lot of pressure on one’s fullbacks. Mendyl and Dirar answered the call with aplomb, producing some great runs forward. Mendyl essentially set up the 13^th minute equalizer by earning that corner. He once again earned them a set-piece eight minutes later that lead to the Saiss goal.   

Hard to fathom that I called the French maestro the “Sid Meier of African Football” just a few short days ago. Bad bookie! I retract and recant.

 Enjoyed his animation on the touchline as well. Nice tan, dude ; )

 LINEUP—Lions of the Atlas—MATCH ONE—4-1-2-3 

Azziz Bouhaddouz

Romain Saiss              Mbark Boussoufa

Omar El-Kaddouri  Mehdi Carcela-Gonzalez

Karim El-Ahmadi

H. Mendyl   M. da Costa  M. Benatia   N. Dirar

Munir Mohand

 LINEUP—Lions of the Atlas—MATCH TWO—5-3-2 

Azziz Bouhaddouz

Faycal Fajr

Omar El-Kaddouri  Karim Al-Ahmadi

Hamza Mendyl   Mbark Boussoufa      Nabil Dirar

R. Saiss    M. da Costa    M. Benatia

Munir Mohand

Love the 5-3-2. It’s the formation that turned Phillip Lahm into a star! Giving the fullbacks forward marching orders always invariably makes football more fun and entertaining. They played a role in all three of goals in Friday’s fixture. Mendyl earned the dead-ball pieces. Dirar fed Al-Ahmadi splendidly, opening up all manner of possibilities.

Renard will do well to stick with this formula.

3) Congo DR

(Previously # 2)

They’re every bit as good as the squad that took third place in this competition two years ago. The current incarnation bears so many similarities to the Ivorians. Ibenge faces the same challenges as Dusseyer. He presides over an odd mixture of young sparks and old flames. The African Trainer surely spends long sleepless nights re-organizing his eleven in order to maximize the alchemic potential of this eclectic group.

Case in point: The opening goal. Kabananga with the long throw to Kebano, who didn’t hesitate with that lavish first-time “tracer bullet” across the goalmouth. Sublime stuff! Players separated by years and continents don’t ordinarily possess that inherent understanding of one another’s movements. Sometimes it just comes together if the lads of equal ambition and comparable playing styles are paired together.

Another great “team goal” came minutes later. Maghoma with the perfect upfield switch to Ndombe Mubele. Mubele with the piercing cross to Kabanga, who timed his rise perfectly for the emphatic headed finish.

Wow!

How can lads who play together so seldom work together so seamlessly? Ibenge deserves some serious credit!

Take them all the way!

 LINEUP—The Leopards—MATCH ONE—4-3-3 

Cedric Bakambu

Ndombe Mubele  Junior Kabananga

Youssouf Mulumbu     Chancel Mbemba

Merveille Bokadi

F. N’Sakala  G. Zakuani M. Tisserand   I.Mpeko

Ley Matampi

 LINEUP—The Leopards—MATCH TWO—4-3-3 

Dieumerci Mbokani

Ndombe Mubele                      Junior Kabananga

Jacques Maghoma     Chancel Mbemba

Neeskens Kebano

M. Tisserand     J. Ikoko I. Mpeko        M. Bokadi

Ley Matampi

Five changes for the Leopards, who also unleashed the “Big Dogs” ahead of the big Cote d’Ivoire match. Surprisingly enough, the biggest talking point—Mbokani up front—wasn’t a factor at all. Beastly performances from both Maghoma and Kebano. The total re-calibration of the back four threw a wrench into the Ivorians’ attack plans. Starting to think of Ibenge as a genius. He draws it up well!

2) Cameroon

 

(Previously #3)

The Lions have done it. They’ve fought back against the underdogs and confirmed their worth. Moukandjo set up Sebastien Siani perfectly. What a strike! Bassogog’s perfect flick back to Ngadeu-Ngadjui sealed what most would commonly refer to as “the deal”. Hugo Broos’s substitutions made no difference whatsoever. The coach didn’t win this game. The team did.

Onwards to the knockouts ; )

 LINEUP—Les Indomptables—MATCH ONE—4-4-2 

Jacques Zoua   Benjamin Moukandjo

Christian Bassogog           Clinton N’Jie

Sebastien Siani  Georges Mandjeck

A.   Oyongo                                E. Mabouka

Adolphe Teikeu   M. Ngadeu-Ngadjui

Fabrice Ondoa

 LINEUP—Les Indomptables—MATCH TWO—4-5-1 

Vincent Aboubakar

Clinto N’Jie      B.  Moukanjio    Christian Bassogog

Sebastien Siani  Georges Mandjeck

A.   Oyongo                                               Collins Fai

Adolphe Teikeu   M. Ngadeu-Ngadjui

Fabrice Ondoa

Nice to see Moukandjo back in a useful midfield role. Aboubakar up top makes more sense. Knew all too little about Sebastien Siani, a curious late bloomer breaking into the National Side shortly after his 30^th birthday. Clinton N’Jie and Christian Bassogog weren’t on this bookie’s radar prior to the tournament

Kudos to Hugo Broos, a fine apothecary, for concocting the right elixir. Herald the advent of a new Golden Generation of “Indomitable Football”.

FINALLY!

1) Senegal

(Previously #1)

A brilliant performance. Saviet kept taking his brief touches before eagle-eyeing excellent distribution from the very start. Keita Balde Diao has surely earned himself a fat paycheck with those fantastic efforts he managed to get on goal. Cheikou Kouyate and Idrissa Gana Gueye dominated the midfield play. No one came close to getting a tackle in. What a finish from Sadio Mané! That’s why he’s Liverpool’s last best hope.

Saviet’s free kick was a curling masterpiece.

March on.

 LINEUP—The Lions of Teranga—MATCH ONE—4-4-2 

Sadio Mane   Mame Biram Diouf

Keita Balde Diao               Papa Alioune Ndiaye

Idrissa Gana Gueye  Cheikou Kouyate

Cheik M’Bengue                           Lamine Gassama

Kara Mbodj  Kalidou Koulibaly

Abdoulaye Dialoo

 LINEUP—The Lions of Teranga—MATCH TWO—4-5-1 

Mame Biram Diouf

Sadio Mané       Henri Saviet    Keita Balde Diao

Idrissa Gana Guueye    Cheikou Kouyate

Cheik M’Bengue                          Lamine Gassama

Kara Mbodj  Kalidou Koulibaly

Abdoulaye Dialoo

Minor adjustments show the true genius of a coach. Saviet’s placement was perfect. Diouf as the lone striker produced hidden dividends. Strong performance by a back four facing an admittedly inferior opponent.

Sunday, January 22^nd

Cameroon vs. Gabon

  vs. 

No way this works for the hosts. Aubemeyang has given everything he has, and now looks forward to the flight home to Frankfurt. Even the reserves wish to play for pride. It ends.

THE LINE: Cameroon +1 Goal

Guinea-Bissau vs. Burkina Faso

  vs. 

As much as my beloved Stallions find themselves in injury-induced disarray, they’ll find a way to snatch this at the last moment.

THE LINE: Burkina Faso +1 Goal

Initial Group Projection (1/13/2017)

 1) Burkina Faso

  2) Gabon

 3) Cameroon

 4) Guinea-Bissau

Final Group Projection (1/21/2017)

(Straight Up Odds for Bookie)

 1) Cameroon

 2) Burkina Faso

  3) Gabon

 4) Guinea-Bissau

  

Monday, January 23^rd 

Senegal vs. Algeria

  vs. 

The Lions have already qualified. The “Fennecs” still have a point to prove. The Line is set.

THE LINE: Algeria +1 Goal

Zimbabwe vs. Tunisia

  vs. 

Domination takes many forms. The Carthage Eagles will still prevail.

THE LINE: Tunisia +1 Goal

Initial Group Projection (1/13/2017)

 1) Algeria

 2) Tunisia

 3) Senegal

 4) Zimbabwe

Final Group Projection (1/21/2017)

(3 to 1 Odds for Bookie)

 1) Senegal

 2) Tunisia

 3) Algeria

 4) Zimbabwe

Tuesday, January 24^th  

Morocco vs. Cote d’Ivoire

  vs. 

Should be a classic. Looking forward to this one more than any other of the Third Round Fixtures. Your friendly bookie has very nearly driven himself mad with all the lineup permutations.

Eventually he arrived at a line. Syndicate veterans will accuse me of betting with heart. You’re more than welcome to arrive at that conclusion. For whatever it’s worth, however, I see a way through for the West Africans.

THE LINE: Cote d’Ivoire +1 Goal

Togo vs. Congo DR

  vs. 

Ibenge will rest most of his firepower, enabling the Sparrow Hawks to salvage some pride with a well-fought draw. Or so it shall appear…

I’ll project a mostly non-physical midfield encounter with neither side taking too many chances. A late breakthrough will nevertheless award the three points to the “DRC”.

THE LINE: Congo DR +1 Goal

Initial Group Projection (1/13/2017)

 1) Cote d’Ivoire

 2) Togo

 3) Morocco  

 4) Congo DR

Final Group Projection (1/21/2017)

(2 to 1 Odds for Bookie)

  1) Congo DR

 2) Cote d’Ivoire

 3) Morocco

 4) Togo

Wednesday, January 25^th  

Egypt vs. Ghana

  vs. 

Don’t expect Grant to roll with his best lineup. He’s far too much of a “long-range thinker” to show his best hand. Our Black Stars will still prevail, courtesy of insanely resolute point Christian Atsu seems hell-bent on proving.

Kick ass, playas!

THE LINE: Ghana +1 Goal

Uganda vs. Mali

  vs. 

Treat it like a “gimmie”…or don’t They’ll play to a rather unexciting draw…until one of the Coulibalys earns a late tally.

THE LINE: Mali +1 Goal

Initial Group Projection (1/13/2017)

 1) Egypt

 2) Ghana

 3) Mali   

 4) Uganda

Final Group Projection (1/21/2017)

(Straight Up Odds for Bookie)

 1) Ghana  

 2) Mali

 3) Egypt

 4) Uganda

GENTLEMEN, ENTER YOUR WAGERS