Draw sees Tunisia and Angola go on

Senegal and South Africa played out a 1-1 draw which did neither team any good, with both nations exiting the tournament with just two points each from their respective three games.

 

Tunisia, 2004 champions, will now stay at Tamale Stadium for their quarter-final clash with four-time champions Cameroon on Monday, while Angola travel south to take on defending champions Egypt in Kumasi on the same day.

 

While Tunisia will be making a sixth knockout-phase appearance in seven tournaments, Angola are through for the first time after being deprived on goal difference in Egypt two years ago.

 

Angola retained the team that created the biggest upset of the group phase by overcoming a half-time deficit to shock Senegal 3-1 with two goals coming from Manchester United-bound forward Manucho.

 

For Tunisia, coach Roger Lemerre maintained his rotation policy and dropped four of the side that overcame South Africa 3-1, including two-goal hero Francileudo dos Santos.

 

Into the team came Amine Chermiti, the teenage striker from African club champions Etoile Sahel, who missed the first two group fixtures after being sent off in the final round of qualifiers.

 

 

Both teams stated before the match that they would not settle for a draw, while knowing that an even result would guarantee them places in the knockout phase.

 

Tunisia almost went ahead early from the set piece as a glancing header by defender Sabeur Ben Frej, another member of the Etoile Sahel side that conquered the continent, flashed just wide.

 

The Carthage Eagles wasted an even better chance midway through the first half as they sprung an offside trap and the unmarked Chermiti headed across Angola keeper Lama only for the ball to go wide.

 

Angola carved open the Tunisian defence with a Flavio Amado pass setting up Ze Kalanga, who was foiled by a brave block from goalkeeper Hamdi Kasraoui.

 

Angola came close to breaking the deadlock 12 minutes into the second half as Amado and Manucho set up midfielder Maurito and Kasraoui did well to push away a fierce drive.

 

 

Henri Camara, left, scores the equaliser as Senegal and South Africa bow out [Reuters]

Meanwhile in Kumasi, Senegal and South Africa both needed to win by big margins and at the same time hope the match between Angola and Tunisia produced a clear winner.

 

Neither of these transpired, with Henri Camera’s 38th minute strike for Senegal cancelling out Elrio van Heerden’s opener for South Africa.

 

World Cup hosts in 2010 South Africa finished bottom of the Group D standings, and although Brazilian coach Carlos Alberto Parreira says his side are in a rebuilding phase, the Bafana Bafana have much work to do.

 

Senegal dropped Bolton striker El Hadj Diouf, Tony Sylva and Ousmane Ndoye after they broke camp curfew and stayed up late at a popular Kumasi night club just hours before this fixture, while South Africa’s Steven Pienaar failed to recover in time from an ankle injury he picked up in training.

 

South Africa opened the scoring on the quarter-hour when Modise darted down the right and delivered a superb cross for Van Heerden to smash the ball into the net beyond goalkeeper Bouna Coundoul.

 

However the Teranga Lions stepped up the pressure and Camara to punished sloppy work by Aaron Mokoena for the equaliser.

 

“Being a new team I think we go back home with some positive things,” said Parreira.

 

“My young players learnt a lot about high level football and the process of learning goes on.

 

“We are satisfied with some things but for the World Cup of course we need to improve a lot more than here.”