It will be the battle of the outsiders in Group C of the Africa Cup of Nations when Zambia and Sudan take to the pitch at the refurbished Baba Yara Stadium today.
The top guns in this first round group are Egypt and Cameroon while Zambia and Sudan are only expected to make up the numbers. However, both countries have shown they can upset the form book after they topped their respective qualifying groups en route to Ghana.
Emotions ran wild throughout Sudan as hundreds of screaming and dancing fans received their national team after the Nile Crocodiles had beaten the Seychelles 2-0 in Port Au Prince to earn qualification.
They would go on to win the group after subduing the highly rated 2004 champions Tunisia in a five-goal thriller in Omdurman.
Sudan, a country that has been embroiled in civil wars since its independence, won the Cup in 1970 as host but last qualified for the competition in 1976.
The records show they have only won three of their 14 encounters with Zambia, scoring 15 goals and letting in 21.
Like Sudan, the Zambians also have the potential to cause a stir with a youthful side in Ghana after reaching the tournament final in 1974 and 1994.
Coach Patrick Phiri will be relying on a squad of talented players led by Brondby striker Christopher Katongo, who fired home four goals including a memorable hat-trick against South Africa in Cape Town on the last day of the qualifiers to clinch top spot in Group 11.
Nicknamed "Tsunami" for his robust play, Katongo, a sergeant in the Zambian army, debuted for his country in a friendly against Sudan five years ago.
He is expected to be complemented by another prolific striker, Collins Mbesuma.
Taiwan’s Chou Tien-chen yesterday exited at the BWF World Tour Finals in China, losing in the semi-finals to China’s world No. 1 Shi Yuqi. Shi, who was named the BWF Men’s Singles Player of the Year, had a 9-4 record against Chou going into the match. He extended that record to 9-5 with a 21-14, 21-18 victory. Chou advanced to the men’s singles semi-finals on Friday by upsetting top-seeded Anders Antonsen of Denmark in a must-win match at the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Center Gymnasium. The 16-21, 21-18, 21-15 victory saw Chou secure his second semi-finals appearance at the tournament, despite his relatively older
‘REMARKABLE’: Gaelic football is a traditional Irish sport that blends the skills of soccer and rugby, and hurling is an ancient sport played with a wooden stick and ‘sliotar’ The Taiwan Celts Gaelic Football Club marked a milestone achievement at the Asian Gaelic Games in Bangkok on Nov. 23 and 24, with two sides advancing to the knockout stages and competing at hurling for the first time. The event brought together 68 teams from 16 clubs across Asia, with more than 800 players in men’s and women’s tournaments. Gaelic football is a traditional Irish team sport that blends the skills of soccer, rugby union and basketball. Hurling is an ancient Irish sport played with a wooden stick, called a hurley, and a small ball, or sliotar. The Taiwan Celts’ women’s team reached
LIVERPOOL WIN: The 50th Champions League goal by Mohamed Salah helped the leaders of the Premier League to keep their perfect record intact Real Madrid’s big stars on Tuesday turned on the style to revive the Spanish giant’s faltering UEFA Champions League title defense. Galacticos Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Junior and Jude Bellingham all scored in a thrilling 3-2 win against Serie A leaders Atalanta BC. However, Madrid still had to ride their luck as Mateo Retegui fired over from in front of goal in stoppage-time when handed a golden chance to level the game. It was only Madrid’s third win in the competition’s revamped league phase and leaves the 15-time champions in the unseeded playoff positions in 18th place. “It’s a very important win. Not everyone wins
Indian teenager Gukesh Dommaraju became the youngest chess world champion on Thursday after beating the defending champion Ding Liren of China in the final match of their series in Singapore. Dommaraju, 18, secured 7.5 points against 6.5 of his Chinese rival in the contest, surpassing the achievement of Russia’s Garry Kasparov, who won the title at the age of 22. The Indian teen prodigy has long been considered a rising star in the chess world after he became a chess grandmaster at 12. He had entered the match as the youngest-ever challenger to the world crown after winning the Candidates tournament earlier
RSS