The African Nations Cup results you REALLY care about
For every great bit of skill we witness on the pitches of Angola, there is a skilled player. And maybe, just perhaps, it is that clever individual upon whom your favored club’s aspirations depend. Essien, Drogba, Song, Eto’o.. down the line.
Big time guys from big time teams are playing some serious ball right now and you can’t know when the passion of international football will translate into a hasty, rash tackle heard ’round the world.
So with out further ado, let’s look at the latest injuries from this ANC 2010!
UPDATED: Friday, Jan. 22, 6 pm est
**Essien update** Final word has come down on the Chelsea midfielder’s busted pin: He’ll be out for six weeks. Essien has a tear in his meniscus, according to Carlo Ancelloti. The gaffer is hoping it’ll mean just a month’s layoff, but medicine is less optimistic. Either way, it’s not as bad as once feared. Rejoice, Blues… Black Stars.
PLAYER: Joseph Yobo
INJURY: Hammy
CLUB: Everton
SO: Looks like the Nigeria captain will be out for just two weeks. So! That’s not good news for Nigeria– he wouldn’t be available for a potential final. As for Everton, worry not. Yobo should be back and fit after the tournament.
UPDATED: Monday, Jan. 18, 6 pm est
No new injuries to report.
Notes… Angola and Algeria saw themselves into the quarterfinals with a dour nil-nil draw, but the real news of the day comes, again, from the Ghana camp. Michael Essien (done for the tournament surely) is headed back to London this week for a scan on his newly-crocked knee. As we first heard yesterday, the Chelsea midfielder– he may not be their talisman, but he’s definitely talismanic– crumpled to the Angolan turf during a Black Stars training session, eventually needing an ambulance to the hospital. The word today, courtesy of The (U.K.) Guardian: “Scans on Essien’s left leg in Luanda are understood to have shown that he has suffered a partially torn medial collateral ligament in his knee and damage to his meniscus.” Ouch. That translates to months out, which in turn means he’s probably done for the English league season and sadly, a doubt for the World Cup.
UPDATED: Sunday, Jan. 17, 11 am est
PLAYER: Michael Essien
INJURY: Unknown right knee injury– he was reportedly taken by ambulance from an afternoon (Angolan time) Black Stars training session. The injury is not related to his hamstring issue. It is a brand-new, African Nations Cup-inspired injury. We can honestly say it would not have happened had Essien been back in London with his club team.
CLUB: Speaking of… Chelsea Football Club.
SO? I don’t want to put words in, say, Autoglass’s mouth, but Essien is at least one of Chelsea’s five most important players. He’s the guy that, when contributing on the reg, separates the club from United. They’re unlikely to pull away in the league without him in the lineup. We’ll keep you updated… (Oh, and Essien’s unlikely to play in Ghana’s final group match, effectively a quarterfinal play-in game vs. Burkina Faso.)
UPDATED: Thursday, Jan. 15, 6 pm est
PLAYER: Tico Tico
INJURY: Suspected food poisoning, or as Ned puts it, “Tottenhamitis.” Chuckle.
CLUB: Some South African club, looks like Jomo Cosmos. (I thought Kaizer Chiefs just played Orland Pirates every weekend?)
SO? Well, seeing as Tico’s so nice you gotta say it twice, and he’s the naional team captain, this seems to bode poorly for Mozambique in their crunch match against Egypt tomorrow. But our concern in this space is the club, and so you have to think Cosmos are happy. Those Egyptians are P. F’in O.’ed after their World Cup failure. Moz likely to get stamped on field and scoreboard.
Notes… “ANC: Where does it hurt?” was almost legitimized today when Michael Essien and Didier Drogba had ONE HECKUVA collision during the Ghana-Ivory Coast match. Never even in conjuring up the concept for these updates (ya know, so I could have a platform from which to crow about an injury to a Chelsea/Arsenal player) did I consider the prospect of a Rocky II-style double knock out. Well, it almost came true today. Almost.
Also– a correction… as yaz pointed out yesterday, the felled Flávio “has already played 14 games for Al-Shabab and scored 7 goals.” That impressive tally would imply he’s taken a halfway pole lead for most important injury of the tournament. Cheers, yaz.
UPDATED: Thursday, Jan. 14, 6 pm est
PLAYER: Sebastião “Gilberto”
INJURY: Unknown at this point. Reports are more concerned with his teammate (cited below), so it can’t be anything gnarly like a broken leg, etc.
CLUB: Al-Ahly (Egypt)
SO? Important attacking winger for the Egyptian side… so… another YAWN.
PLAYER: Amado Flavio
INJURY: “…stretchered off with a suspected recurrence of a hamstring injury.” -BBC
CLUB: Al-Shabab (Saudi Arabia, as of the New Year)
SO? Flavio joined Al-Shabab (AFC Champs League q-finalists in 2009) over the winter, but has yet to play a game. He’s considered a big player for the Angolans, so “The Sheikh” has to be worried about their new toy arriving as damaged (or at very least, nicked) goods. Alas, no one in Europe without money on this tournament is bound to care too much.
UPDATED: Wednesay, Jan. 13, 6 pm est
PLAYER: Aderito Waldemar “Dede” (Angola)
INJURY: Ankle — nicked, no prognosis available– in opening 4-4 thriller with Mali
CLUB: FC Timişoara (Romanian first division)
SO? Meh. FCT are Dede’s third team since the summer. He started in Portugal, moved to France (feeder leagues), then hooked up with last year’s Romanian runner-up. They actually beat Shakhtar in a Champs League qualifier round match last year, but that’s about it.
PLAYER: Dave Banda (Malawi)
INJURY: Limped off– no prognosis available– after scoring in 3-0 upset of Algeria
CLUB: The Reebok Club eventually, given Madonna’s largesse. No really, I think he plays in the Malawi national league. Couldn’t find a reliable source for club name.
SO? See above.
Notes… Samuel Eto’o (Cameroon) is coming off a knee injury and looked it, by all accounts, as the Indomitable Lions fell to Gabon, 1-0, today at the Nossa Senhora do Monte.
