Once again African countries seem to be trudging the long beaten path of failure at the ongoing World Cup in Brazil endorsing fears that the continent’s pursuit for more than five slots will hit yet another brick wall.
So far with all the five teams having had a go at their opening games, it is looking grim for African countries with Ivory Coast being the only team to have managed a win overcoming Japan 2-1 in a come from behind performance.
Even that performance may not have come in the most convincing of fashions still leaving lingering doubts if after the first round Africa will still have representation.
For Cameroon it was a familiar tale of failure since the dizzying heights of Italia 90 that saw them pioneer a quarter final appearance ever for any African country and from then on time has stood still for the not so indomitable lions.
In a group that houses hosts and record five time champions, Cameroon went down 1-0 to Mexico. Given they still have a date with Luka Modric’s Croatia and Brazil few can bet on the Africans making it beyond their group. Cameroon looked flat and any keen football follower will tell you their poor performance is only rivaled by Honduras so far.
Nigeria had looked like the team most likely to carry the African hope beyond the Group stage but came short on a night they were expected to at least do Africa proud with a win over Carlos Queiroz’s Iran but the African champions blew that chance.
With Argentina still lying in wait, there is little optimism Nigeria will pull it off against Bosnia and Herzegovina having looked disinterested against a relatively beatable Iranian side. The Super Eagles’ best World Cup performance remains their 1994 second round finish and on their subsequent appearances have remained mere passengers.
The Black Stars of Ghana were perhaps handed the harshest of draws among the African teams and may have well kiss their World Cup goodbye when they lost to arguably the weakest team in the group or rather their best bet for three points in the USA.
Credit to them they have been Africa’s biggest performance flag carriers at the last two World Cups including a quarter final appearance in 2010 that was brought to a crashing end after a Luis Suarez handball with star striker Gyan Asamoah missing the resultant penalty. With Germany and Portugal in wait there is a very slim chance the Black Stars could be among the flag carriers after the first round.
Algeria were handed the brightest of starts when they went into the half time break leading tournament dark horses Belgium but capitulated in the second half to lose 2-1 and sum up the African story thus far in Brazil.
The North Africans will have to await the Russian and South Korean challenge to see how far they can go in the tournament where they are yet to go past the first round.
Didier Drogba’s Ivory Coast for all their frailties remain Africa’s biggest hope after their opening victory over Japan. Largely viewed as the Ivory Coast’s golden generation’s last shot at glory, Drogba, African Footballer of the Year Yaya Toure, his brother Kolo and Solomon Kalou among others could fancy their chances against Colombia and Greece in subsequent games and perhaps mark a befitting send off to the golden generation.
Yet the overrall performance of the African brothers will be unconvincing and continue to dwarf the voice of reason advocating the continent’s 52 members deserve much more than the five slots given to them for the tournament held once every four years.
