African World Cup Hopefuls Struggle in Pre-Tournament Friendlies
With the 2014 FIFA World Cup just days away, Africa’s five representatives — Ghana, Algeria, Cameroon, Nigeria and Ivory Coast — are in the final stages of preparation. However, recent friendly results have highlighted concerns as the continent’s hopefuls gear up for the tournament in Brazil.
Ivory Coast suffered a 2-1 defeat to Bosnia and Herzegovina in St. Louis, Missouri, on Tuesday night. Edin Džeko led the European side with a brace, scoring in the 17th and 53rd minutes. Didier Drogba netted a late consolation for the Elephants in stoppage time (90+1) at the Edward Jones Dome.
The Ivorians were missing several key players, including Serge Aurier, Salomon Kalou, Wilfried Bony, Gervinho, and the Touré brothers, Kolo and Yaya — absences that undoubtedly impacted their performance.
Ivory Coast will play one final friendly, facing El Salvador on Thursday, before opening their World Cup campaign against Japan on June 15 in Group C.
Elsewhere, Egypt — who did not qualify for the World Cup — were narrowly beaten 3-2 by Chile, despite taking a surprising 2-0 lead within the first 20 minutes. The South American side, led by the likes of Alexis Sánchez, mounted a comeback to seal the win.
Cameroon also faced disappointment this week. The Indomitable Lions lost 2-1 to Paraguay during a training camp in Austria. The Central Africans are continuing preparations ahead of their Group A opener against Mexico on June 13.
As African teams continue their build-up, the pressure is mounting to find form and cohesion before the global spotlight turns to Brazil.
