Crunch time for teams at Afcon tomorrow

Hosts Ghana meet regional rivals Nigeria in Accra tomorrow at the start of the business end of the African Nations Cup after a two-day break.

The quarter-final clash is the first of the knockout matches at the tournament, a derby with all the potential to continue the feverish pace of football that has characterised the event to date.

Ghana coach Claude Le Roy, who takes charge of a team at a record sixth Nations Cup, said it was the best he had been to since he started in 1986. "In terms of technique it is vastly superior because the tournament actually has some of the best players in the world," the Frenchman asserted.

The likes of Didier Drogba, Samuel Eto'o and Michael Essien have certainly added a new qualitative touch to the continental championship. Drogba has been the inspirational leader of a polished Ivory Coast team, who won all three of their group matches and are now most fancied to go on and win the title. The Ivorians, who rested several regulars in their last match and still overwhelmed Mali 3-0, play Guinea in Sekondi - tomorrow's second quarter-final match.

Eto'o's five goals at the competition have set a tournament goal-scoring record, passing the 38-year-old mark of 14 goals previously held by Laurent Pokou. Eto'o has already stretched it to 16 with the promise of more to come when Cameroon play Tunisia in their quarter-final in Tamale on Monday. Essien has stepped into the void left by the injury to Ghana captain Stephen Appiah, inspiring the home side to three wins in Group A.

Supporting cast
The major players have been surrounded by a strong supporting cast, although the stadiums have not been full except for Ghana's matches. Angola have proven the surprise side by qualifying for the last eight for the first time. They play defending champions Egypt in Kumasi on Monday. The organisation of the event has been heavily criticised, but the daily foibles are overshadowed by the high drama of the 24 matches to date.

A total of 70 goals has been central to the excitement, many of them extraordinary efforts from long range. Off the field, there has also been the customary intrigue, a long-standing hallmark of past Nations Cup tournaments. This year it has been bribery attempts on Benin and Namibia and late night partying, which has seen Senegal again banish their captain El Hadji Diouf to the sidelines. Senegal were one of the high-profile casualties of the first round.
- Reuters