We look at how the four latest teams to depart the Africa Cup of Nations performed and their prospects of heading to Angola 2010 and the World Cup in South Africa around six months later.

Nigeria (lost 2-1 to Ghana)

Manager Berti Vogts has been the most under-fire boss of any at this Cup of Nations and is the key to Nigeria’s next step.

Sunday Oliseh is already putting pressure on for the job according to the BBC, while Nigeria’s ruthless press were highly critical of German Vogts both during and after the tournament.

So much so that his dark past as manager of Scotland rated a frequent mention as the Super Eagle scribes bemoaned his alleged destruction of a talented line-up.

Opening the tournament with two scoreless games meant Nigeria never really had the right combination up front.

After scraping past Benin they still lacked the cutting edge up forward after John Mensah was sent off for Ghana and Nigeria held the man advantage.

Whether a new manager decides to discard the veteran names in the team could shape Nigeria’s future.

World Cup qualification prospects:

Nigeria should stroll through to the second group stage of qualifying as it is paired with South Africa in group 4.

It means the Super Eagles only need to beat Equatorial Guinea and Sierra Leone to ensure progression to the next stage of qualifying.

However the group should not be taken lightly – the immediate step up in difficulty in the four-team, only-top qualifies second stage will pit Nigeria against the big guns.

With a team unity rebuilt, Nigeria easily has the talent to qualify for the World Cup, but leadership and a clear strategy is needed at the top.

Guinea (lost 5-0 to Ivory Coast)

Guinea’s embarrassing exit from the Cup of Nations will overshadow its fighting performance against Ghana and win over Morocco.

Pascal Feindouno is essential to any hope Guinea has of scoring goals and the rest of the team showed no indication that the skipper is anything other than a once-in-a-generation player.

While Ivory Coast was expected to win comfortably, the worst result for Guinea was arguably the draw with Namibia.

World Cup qualification prospects:

If anything because of the momentum it will give Namibia ahead of playing the Guineans again in World Cup and African Nations qualifying for 2010.

Guinea is pitted against Zimbabwe, Namibia and Kenya in a group looking destined for evenness.

As only eight of the 11 best second-placed teams go through, Guinea may well need to win the group to see the next group stage.

Guinea starts at home to Zimbabwe and is away to Kenya a week later.

Make it through this group and Guinea will do well to finish in the top three of the next stage of qualifying and go to Angola in 2010.

Don’t consider them any chance to make it to South Africa.

Angola (lost 2-1 to Egypt)

Angola was the statistical surprise packet of the tournament but will still feel unlucky to have gone home at the quarter-final stage.

The Palancas Negras had never won a game in Cup of Nations competition or made the knock-out stages, so in many ways this was a tournament of achievement.

But the team on the park has every right to leave disappointed and feeling it could have gone further.

Manucho was the stand-out for Angola, with him in this form at the 2006 World Cup Angola could well have made it out of their group.

Now his high-profile move to Manchester United (via Panathinaikos initially) could be the development he needs to become world class.

World Cup qualification prospects:

Angola is automatically qualified to host the 2010 Cup of Nations as host, but unlike Egypt in 2006 will want a World Cup to look forward too as well.

Getting there should not prove too difficult for Angola provided its organised defence sees off Uganda, Niger and Benin in the first group stage.

How close it goes to the elusive top spot (of four) at the next stage of qualifying to get a spot in South Africa depends largely on how much improvement is left in Manucho.

The better he gets, the more attention he will command to free up the likes of Flavio and Ze Kalanga – the players that along with Akwa got Angola to Germany 2006 – in order to provide multiple goal-scoring threats.

Tunisia (lost 3-2 to Cameroon)

The writing was on the wall for Tunisia after it scraped qualification for Ghana after losing to Sudan.

Improve the backline or face more embarrassment and frustration with the leaking of goals.

Sure enough, the Tunisians could not clamp down on Senegal, let in a soft consolation against South Africa and blew all the momentum it took into extra-time as Cameroon scored against the run of play.

Roger Lemerre has spent what is considered a lifetime at one African team (six years) with Tunisia, and the Frenchman may have reached the end of his tether.

But while speculation over his future remains dormant, how he rebuilds his backline with or without Radhi Jaidi will be the key to the Carthage Eagles’ future.

World Cup qualification prospects:

Tunisia’s fantastic record of qualifying for World Cups may at last be in jeopardy as the stakes are raised for South Africa 2010.

Burkina Faso, Burundi and Seychelles will not provide any stern opposition in the first group stage, but the second group stage will have the Tunisians scrambling.

Sort the groups geographically and the Tunisians will likely be facing familiar rivals Morocco and Algeria in order to qualify.

But if the groups are drawn randomly then a poor record away from home against the bigger nations of central Africa may prove Tunisia’s downfall.

Egypt will play Ivory Coast for a place in the African Cup of Nations final after a 2-1 win over Angola in Kumasi this evening.

The Pharaohs were not rattled by a thunderbolt strike from Angolan forward Manucho as it took the lead twice in the first half.

Goals from Hosny Abd Rabou and Amr Zaki either side of Manucho’s wonder-goal were enough for victory.

Egypt opened the scoring in the 23^rd minute when Angola captain Andre Macanga leapt out of the wall defending a free kick and had the ball rocket off his arm.

A penalty was awarded for the indiscretion with Abd Rabou making no mistake from the spot for the third time in this tournament.

But Panathinaikos-bound Manucho powered the Palancas Negras back onto level terms three minutes later as he hit a 30-yard shot on the gallop.

The ball swerved in the air to beat Essam El Hadari in flight and find the back of the net.

But Egypt regained the ascendancy in the 38^th minute when Amr Zaki chested in a cross from the right flank after it beat the entire Angola backline.

More through fortune than purpose, Zaki’s contact with the ball looped into the net as he arrived at the back post.

Manucho couldn’t put a touch on the ball to find an equaliser from kick-off in the second half as a closing Egypt defence put on just enough pressure.

The ball skewed wide, Egypt holding out Angola with 2-1 good enough to progress to a semi-final against Ivory Coast.

Angola still leaves the Cup of Nations with its heads high, it won a match in tournament play for the first time as well as progress to the quarter-final.

The Palancas Negras next major assignment will be qualifying for the World Cup, while it is already guaranteed a spot as host of the next Cup of Nations in 2010.

A scoreless draw between Tunisia and Angola was enough to advance both teams to the quarter-final of the African Cup of Nations tonight.

Despite South Africa and Senegal playing the more entertaining game of the night in a 1-1 draw the result was left irrelevant to Group D.

Tunisia now plays Cameroon in the quarter-final round while Angola will face Egypt.

At the Baba Yara stadium it would have needed a lop-sided vicotry for either South Africa or Senegal to keep the door open for progression.

But despite doing almost all the attacking it was South Africa's unreliable defence and poor finishing that continued to cost it dearly.

Elrio Van Heerden opened the scoring on 13 minutes for Bafana Bafana but the backline was caught cold 20 minutes later by Senegal's all-time top scorer Henri Camara.

In the second half South Africa laid seige to the Senegal goal but Bouna Coundoul, deputising for Tony Sylva, produced a string of inspired saves on the occasions the ball was on target.

Any chance South Africa had of grabbing a consolation victory was torched as both Thembinkosi Fanteni and Siphiwe Tshabalala put shots wide in the latter stages.

Coach Carlos Alberto Pareira has insisted this Cup of Nations tournament was preparation for the 2010 World Cup for his team, and after collecting two points from three games his side has plenty to work on.

Senegal on the other hand were described by commentators as having reached the "end of an era" in which it could be considered one of the big teams of African football.

Manchester United acquisition Manucho is awaiting a work permit for the Red Devils and his form at the Cup of Nations shows he may be a better signing than expected.

 

Plucked out of relative obscurity from Angolan league side Petro Atletico, Manucho’s aerial ability and physicality could see him adjust to the English Premier League quickly.

 

Manucho has scored two brilliant headed goals after towering leaps against South Africa and Senegal as well as pushing in another against the Teranga Lions.

 

The goal against South Africa came with a high level of difficulty as Manucho arched his back to reach a cross and duck in to the ball.

 

His strength was required for both goals against Senegal, the header as he leapt highest and held off his defender, the other from a scramble where he was willing to put his body on the line.

 

But players who make a move before a big international tournament and put on starring displays do not always continue the form into their new club career.

 

Arsenal signed Tomas Rosicky before the 2006 World Cup and his performances for the Czech Republic had fans salivating.

 

Rosicky’s long-range strike against the United States appeared to be the no-nonsense penetration the Gunners passing game had been lacking.

 

But a combination of injuries and poor form had him on the outer at Arsenal for most of his first season.

 

He has improved his standing within the team somewhat this season, but still fails to command a regular position in the starting line-up. 

 

Latvian Maris Verpakovskis also set the Euro 2004 tournament alight with his performances, leaving pundits scratching their heads as to why he had already agreed a seemingly modest move to Ukrainian side Dynamo Kiev.

 

But after winning the fans vote as player of the year in 2004 Verpakovskis’ form fell away dramatically with just 10 goals in 47 appearances.

 

He has since endured loans to Getafe and Hajduk Split, scoring just 3 goals across 24 appearances with the two clubs.

 

So while Manchester United fans may be impressed with Manucho’s showing at this stage, recent history could be against him.

 

Know a player that maintains or bucks the trend of moving before a big tournament? Leave a comment below.

An inspired second half comeback from Angola has put Senegal’s African Cup of Nations on the ropes as the Black Antelopes won 3-1 in Tamale tonight.

Two goals from Manchester United-bound striker Manucho turned a 1-0 defecit into a 2-1 lead for Angola before fellow striker Flavio made the points safe.

Senegal’s poor marking in the backline cost it dearly after defender Abdoulaye Faye had given the Teranga Lions a first-half lead.

 Angola stood-off South Africa and let the Bafana enjoy long periods of time in possession in its opening game but showed more initiative from kick-off today.

But their willingness to venture forward left cracks at the back that Senegal were able to expose. 

El Hadji Diouf criminally put an open header over the bar but made up for it within two minutes when his free kick helped Senegal open the scoring.

In the 21^st minute Souleymane Diawara met Diouf’s deep cross at the right hand post and squared for Abdoulaye Faye who headed home.

 Angola went to the break resisting a period of dominance for Senegal, albeit without any significant threat on the target.

But the momentum switched at the start of the second half with Manucho putting his mark on the game and scoring his second and third goals of the tournament.

Manucho equalised in the 50^th minute with a thundering header after leaping highest to meet a cross from deep on the right.

Tony Sylva then opened the door for Manucho to score his second fifteen minutes later when the striker pounced on the Senegal goalkeeper’s miss.

Sylva came for a corner but couldn’t hold the ball, Manucho muscling his way through the pack to push home.

With just under 15 minutes remaining Flavio sealed the match after rising totally unmarked to head in a cross from the left by Joao Yamba Asha.

Flavio, the only Angolan player to score in a World Cup, had no trouble beating a friendless Sylva, left totally exposed by Senegal’s inability to track the forward.

The result means Senegal must beat South Africa and hope results go its way if it is to make the final eight of the competition.

The quality of football is suffering significantly in the night game timeslot at this year’s African Cup of Nations.

While the descending humidity is a given, the players have failed to replicate the standard on show just in the curtain-raiser game.

After a sustained period of the first game of each double-header being the more entertaining game, it can no longer be put down to coincidence.

The last five days speak for themselves, the opening match yielding 26 goals and the night game just nine.  

While there are some one-sided scores helping along that rampaging 26-goal tally, night matches were a slaughter has been expected have also failed to deliver. Ghana may be out of form but scraped a 1-0 victory over Namibia in the heat of the night in Accra on Thursday after Guinea and Morocco’s end-to-end classic had yielded five goals between the teams.

While the heat and conditions should come as no shock to the players, an inability to play a pitch collecting dew has been blamed by some coaches – Ghana’s Claude Le Roy included – as a reason for the night-time struggle.  

Despite plenty of support from a noisy crowd in Sekondi on Friday, Nigeria and Mali played out the first and only 0-0 of the competition so far with a dearth of attacking chances.

The Confederation of African football has had little choice to put the games in the times they are (5 and 7.30pm kickoff) in order to attract as many fans as possible, while allowing time-consuming travel for local and international media.

Tonight promises to be the best chance of two quality games, with South Africa set to play Tunisia after notoriously negative Angola and Senegal play in the opener.

 Manchester United’s new acquisition Manucho has already shown what he is capable of with a superb leaping header to score against South Africa in the opening game.

 But Senegal will be stinging after Tunisia opened up their otherwise-resolute defence with two astounding strikes in the 2-2 draw.

South Africa escaped with a point against Angola and now face a Tunisia side who showed the quality in their team is up to the challenge in the most competitive group of the tournament.

Teo Pellizzeri, Accra