2012 Africa Cup of Nations Team of the Group Stages

The four groups have been decided and eight teams remain in the competition, but Goal.com looks back at the best 11 players of the first 24 games

2 Feb 2012 10:32:00

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Africa Cup of Nations

Team Of The Group Stage:

Table/Results

GOALKEEPER

Boubacar BARRY
Cote d'Ivoire
 After three Group B games at the Africa Cup of Nations, Cote d'Ivoire are yet to concede a single goal, with two 2-0 wins and a 1-0 victory separating them from their opponents. Boubacar Barry has been a rock at the back for the Elephants, coming up with some acrobatic saves when necessary, while collecting crosses with authority.
DEFENDERS

Souleymane BAMBA
Cote d'Ivoire
Kolo TOURE
Cote d'Ivoire
Bruno Ecuele MANGA
Gabon
John BOYE
Ghana
Sol Bamba and Kolo Toure have been solid at the back for Cote d'Ivoire, keeping attackers from Sudan, Burkina Faso and Angola at bay while maintaining a clean sheet in all three of the group matches. The solidity of the Elephants defence will benefit them going forward in the competition.

Bruno Ecuele Manga has been an important presence in the co-hosts' back line, marshalling his defence efficiently and making sure to contribute in attack too. The Panthers can thank a solid defence for a 1-0 victory over Tunisia and a 2-0 win against Niger. John Boye has been the epitome of calmness at the back for Ghana, and despite this being his first major tournament, he has carried himself like a veteran with years of national team experience. He plays with determination, grit, and saved an equaliser off the line against Botswana with great acrobatic flair.

MIDFIELDERS

Javier BALBOA
Equatorial Guinea
Andre AYEW
Ghana
Pierre AUBAMEYANG
Gabon
Youssef MSAKNI
Tunisia

Javier Balboa shot co-hosts Equatorial Guinea to victory in their first match of the 2012 Afcon against Libya, allowing them to claim victory when they were expected to be the punching bag of Group A. His experience and attacking ability has been an important part of the Nzalang Nacional's success. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scored in Gabon’s opening Group C match against Niger in the Afcon, helping his side to a 2-0 win. The 22-year-old was also the man of the match in their encounter against Morocco, scoring a goal and creating another in a 3-2 victory. He was on hand once again to score the winner in a 1-0 victory over Tunisia in the final group match.

Andre Ayew is already a well known player in footballing circles, but once again he is doing a fantastic job of improving his reputation as a leader in the making and a talented youngster who is capable of winning matches and playing an important part for the Black Stars. His stunning goal against Mali was inspirational, and he has been one of Ghana's best so far. Youssef Msakni has been in stunning form for the Carthage Eagles, showing sublime skill as he waltzed past both Moroccan and Nigerien defences before finishing to put Tunisia in commanding positions that allowed them to win their first two group matches. His dribbling has been a pleasure to watch, and he will be important for the north Africans going forward in this competition.
FORWARDS

Chris KATONGO
Zambia
MANUCHO
Angola
Zambia reached the quarter-finals of the Afcon with two wins and a draw, and at the heart of their progress was captain Christopher Katongo. The captain scored the equaliser against Libya in a 2-2 draw, and in their second Group A fixture against co-hosts Equatorial Guinea, Katongo scored a fantastic solo goal that was enough to win the match 1-0 and seal qualification to the last-eight.

Angola striker Manucho will unfortunately not be playing any further part in this tournament, but that is more about poor defending from his team-mates and certainly not a reflection of the former Manchester United player's contribution in attack. Three goals in the three matches allowed his side to take a win and a draw before being edged out on goal difference by Sudan.
 

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England 1-0 Belgium, Netherlands 2-0 Northern Ireland - follow all the international action LIVE! ahead of Euro 2012
With countries across the continent gearing up for their final warm-up games ahead of Euro 2012, join us for all the action from Saturday's friendlies. Get in touch with us via Twitter with your reaction.

Hosted by Joe Doyle
19:38 BST
Here's Roy Hodgson's reaction to the result and some injury chat: "I'm very pleased, it's been a hard week and we've used a lot of players. There was a lot of disruption in the second-half with substitutions – some forced upon us, some we wanted to do. But it's still a very good end to the week playing against a good Belgian team here. Arguably even stronger than the Norwegian team we played last week and I've got to be more than happy that we've come out with another victory."

"[Gary] Cahill I suppose is slightly more of a concern for me because it is a jaw injury. We're desperately hoping the CT scan doesn't show any fracture and it's just going to be a bruising situation, which will be bad enough, but won't stop him taking part in the tournament. As far as John's [Terry] concerned he felt his hamstring a little bit. Again it wasn't a major thing when he came off but we still need to scan it just to be 100 per cent sure."

Suffice to say, if Cahill has broken his jaw, he won't play any part in the tournament.
19:35 BST
And another point from today: Eden Hazard wasn't great. Don't think you can judge him on one performance though. What do you think? Is it just a case of too much hype around the Chelsea-bound Belgian?
19:32 BST
We're getting plenty of people saying it was boring. PLENTY. But Spain scored seven goals in eight games at the World Cup and I didn't hear too many of their fans complaining. Or as Fran Stinchcombe points out on Twitter: "If we had lost but played free flowing attacking football would these people still have moaned?"
19:24 BST
No, no, no. I'll have none of that Emile Heskey shouting anymore! Hello, it's me, it's me, it's that D-O-Y-L-E. Yes, I'm Joe Doyle, and I'll be here for all the reaction to that England game. First things first, how did everyone see that game? Good performance? A touch boring? Let me know on Twitter.
19:17 BST
Right, that’s me, Danny Hart, done. Joe Doyle is itching to retain his LIVE! crown for the evening. England reaction, Netherlands-Northern Ireland updates and much, much more - Doyle will be across it all. England are gonna win the Euros! And remember: EMILE HESKEY. Cheerio!
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