Eagles have their wings clipped

Fans of Mali and Nigeria this morning share feelings of disapointment after their respective maulings by the lions of Cameron and Senegal.

Nigerian fans expected their team to go all the way through to the final,
and the air at the team hotel the morning after the game is a sombre one. Gone too is the ebullience and swagger of days of yore.

A lot of fingers will be pointed at coach Shaibu Amodu

Perhaps gone too are some of the players. It wasn't the defeat yesterday
against Senegal, rather the manner of it. Okocha, Finidi and Lawal in particular had poor games as the Senegalese crowded the midfield. A lot of fingers will be pointed at coach Shaibu Amodu, but many of the players didn't do themselves justice.

It must have also been galling for the Nigerian fans to see Senegal make
light of their disadvantage for most of the game with a superbly athletic
display. At no time did it look like the not so Super Eagles have a man
advantage.

Not that Senegal played like angels. Sarr was sent off and misses the final. Coly too was lucky to remain on the pitch after his innocuous push sent Aghahowa to ground.

Mali players more than lived up to the expectations of their fans. Bagayoko, Toure and Seydou Keita in particular are all heroes of the republic. The players were rewarded with $20,000 and a house before the semi-final. It's what you get in Nigeria for winning, when they eventually get around to paying the bonus.

Cameroon went on to crush Mali 3-0

In the match itself Mali played well, but were always well contained. The
Camerounian Lions who proceeded to wrap the game up before half-time when Ndiefi twice combined with Olembe to put the lions two goals up. Foe's break-away goal put the icing on the cake.

Coach Schafer said getting to the final was one of the best things to happen to him. The only moment that came close was when Karlsruhe came back from the dead to beat Valencia 7-1 in a UEFA Cup tie.

As for the final, Senegal are glad to be there. Cameroon trained the morning after the final and are living the life of monks in their closed off base. Schafer sees it as a challenge to do well in the year of a World Cup and is confident of victory.

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