By Fredrick Nadulli,
To a neutral observer,Democratic Republic of Congo against Cote d’Ivoire is a mismatch anyday,at whatever tournament,in whichever stage,not least a semi-final showdown in the Africa cup of nations.A bunch of locals up against a star studded group literally translates to the Zaireans punching above their weight.
Keen observers will however point out that African football has evolved,so much so that there exist no more lightweights,more so at the penultimate stage.The hitherto huge gulf has been bridged considerably.
The West Africans must approach this duel with plenty of caution.
ANYBODY’S GAME
Ivory Coast have made it this far without a really convincing perfomance to stake their claim.Nevertheless,their ruthless trampling of Algeria in the quarters will send alarm bells ringing in the DRC camp.After an inauspicious start in the tournament when they had to come from behind in two games,the Elephants seem to finally have found their footing and got into their stride.
They arrived in Equatorial Guinea as one of the favourites but they are still haunted by their knack for tripping at the last hurdles.The squad is littered with top notch professionals plying their trade in mainstream European leagues.
In fact,their starting X1 has only goalkeeper Sylvain Gbouhou playing in Abidjan for Sewe Sport.His perfomances so far suggest he will soon join the Europe brigade.In recent times this team has faltered at the tape twice,losing to Egypt and Zambia respectively.This nagging prospect rings hollow in their minds.
Their opponents come into this fixture an entirely contrasting entity.They are worlds apart.While the Ivorians draw almost their entire squad from Europe,a sizeable chunk of the DRC play at home,for top Kinshasa side TP Mazembe.
Public opinion strongly suggests that it is this club camaraderie that drives Florent Ibenge’s team.A few additions from other nondescript leagues spice up the mix,the likes of Dynamo Kyiv’s Dioumande Mbokani,Yannick Bolasie and lanky Loteteka Bokila.Ivory Coast must particularly beware of Bolasie’s blinding pace and the aerial prowess of Mbokani,the big forward always shadowed by Joel Kimwaki.And with their comeback ability and resilience,Herve Renard’s men cannot afford to drop their guard.
WEST AFRICAN DOMINANCE
Of the four sides still in the running,only DRC are not from West Africa.Granted,they barely squeezed through from the group stages,but they are a loaded gun.They are considered dark horses and this makes them a potentially dangerous side.
That they go into the game tonight as underdogs to their more illustrious opponents emphasises that fact.Can Ivory Coast make it to another coveted final and perhaps take the trophy to Abidjan this time round?
That possibility cannot be over-emphasised,but the Zaireans will definitely not be sitting ducks waiting to be run over.They will be lurking in the shadows,ready to land a fatal blow.
Time is the master.
