Afcon’s unlikely semi-finalists carry weight of history. The semi-finals of the Africa Cup of Nations to be held later today feature some of the continent’s historically great teams and some once-proud nations returning to prominence.Ivory Coast, who fell short in tournaments past, look to win their third title against the Democratic Republic of Congo, who last won the Cup of Nations 50 years ago.

Despite being one of the most populous countries in the world, DRC has only made the semi-finals three times in the past half-century, a result of political turmoil. The divide between players from the capital, Kinshasa, and Lubumbashi, which is home to TP Englebert(now TP Mazembe), previously one of African football’s powerhouses, hampered the country’s performance at the 1974 World Cup depite being the first Sub Saharan nation in History to make it to the tournament when it was known as the Zaire. Meanwhile, the riches in football haven’t trickled down to the Congolese people, who rely heavily on Chinese aid.

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South Africa Vs Nigeria

In the other semi-final, South Africa , winners on home soil in 1996, play Nigeria, which has won the African Cup three times and ranks next to Ghana in successes. However, Nigeria holds the record for the most semi-final losses at seven.

Both teams have the best defenses in the tournament with two of the best keepers Ronwen Williams of South Africa and Stanley Nwabali of Nigeria in the competition  expected to go head to head , which may indicate a tight game. Additionally, Nigeria’s struggle to get to Bouaké, where the match takes place, due to a sick player, had  complicated their chances of winning.

Vincent Osimhen their number one scorer has since been cleared for the meet against South Africa dissipating the air of uncertainty, it remains to be seen whether the expected finals between Ivory Coast and Nigeria will come to fruition.

-Afrogazette-