dynamicafrica:

Afcon Hosts Gabon Make History 

Africa Cup of Nations co-hosts Gabon finished the group stages with a perfect record after a 1-0 victory over Tunisia in Franceville on Tuesday night.

Both sides had already booked their place in the quarter-finals before this encounter. For Gabon it is only the second time they have managed this feat, having previously reached the Last 8 stage in the 1996 finals in South Africa.

Talisman Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang got the only goal of the game for the home side in the second half, his third in three matches at this year’s tournament.

Tunisia dominated the early stages with Issam Jemaa and Youssef Msakni going close, before Wissem Ben Yahia fired in a stunning drive that went just over the angle of crossbar and post.

Saber Khelifa found the side-netting for the North Africans, while Gabon’s first real chance came after the half-hour mark as Andre Poko headed wide of the target from Roguy Meye’s cross.

The opening goal arrived on 62 minutes when Aubameyang beat Rami Jridi, though the Tunisian goalkeeper will believe he should have stopped the shot.

(cont. reading)

(Source: )

Wowza. Gabon 3 - 2 Morocco 

AP


footysphere:

NEW BLOG POST: Africa Cup of Nations - A Football Philately Special

A member of a Gabonese cultural troupe waits on January 21, 2012 to entertain the Malian national football team upon its arrival at the Franceville center of the 2012 African Cup of Nations in Gabon. The Malian national football team arrived late on January 20 in Gabon for the 2012 African Cup of Nations, which opens on January 21 in Gabon and Equatorial Guinea. AFP PHOTO / PIUS UTOMI EKPEI

The more I look at this photo, the more like he’s smiling it appears to me.

Qualified nations in the Africa Cup of Nations. Sub-Sahara is killing it.


I’m reposting this to kick off the 28th Africa Cup of Nations today in Equatorial Guinea and Gabon.

Africa has produced some of the most talented and highest paid footballers in the world. The influx of African born nationals into European and global club play is on a steady rise. With the commencement of the African Cup of Nations, Puma has unveiled their amazing locally designed jerseys for their 10 sponsored nations represented in the tournament; here are the five that have qualified.

The array of jerseys were displayed at the month-long exhibition, Interpretations of Africa: Football, Art and Design,at the Design Museum in London. Artists were commissioned from the Creative African Network to design unique kits inspired by their country’s heritage, culture and traditions.

The new PUMA kits are designed to maximize the player’s performance. with a slim, body fitting cut to decrease on-the-pitch jersey grabs and display a players physique and skill. The fabric boasts PUMA’s U.S.P Moisture Management technology; this influences and enhances airflow and body performance by wicking moisture away from the body. This technology allows the body to stay at a performance homeostasis.

I am disastrously enamored with these jerseys and would like to own as many as I can. The designers did a great job, and I’m interested in seeing the goalkeepers duds as well as the kits in action. Hopefully, these kits do a lot more for these African nations than to showcase how talented their artists are.

Visit http://creative.puma.com, www.pumafootball.com, http://vision.puma.com, www.designmuseum.org if you’d like to know more or you just can’t get enough. And don’t forget to check out the 2012 African Cup of Nations to see these treads and awesome talent in life.

Here are the individual home jerseys and collaborative artist. Shame South Africa, Namibia, Cameroon, and Algeria did not qualify. Their kits were tight.


Video for Gabon’s new African Cup Puma jersey: when art and football intermingle. Enjoy.