Gabon went out of the 2010 African Cup of Nations on Thursday when they fell 2-1 to Zambia. Coupled with Cameroon’s draw with Tunisia, this left a three way tie at the top of the group, with Gabon being left out, despite their stellar start to the group.

With all three (Zambia, Gabon, Cameroon) ending on four points, and tied in the head to head comparison, the Azingo Nationale were left out due to having scored less goals than the other two. A disappointing end, for sure, but the Panthers can certainly take heart in their performance this tournament. Their opening round victory over Cameroon is one that will be remembered for a long time in Libreville, and if it were not from some horrific Zambian goalkeeping in their match vs Cameroon, surely it would be Cousin & co preparing to take on defending champs Egypt rather than the Indomitable Lions. Scant consolation, but a worthy performance nonetheless.

Focus can now turn to the 2012 tournament, where Gabon will play host, along with Equatorial Guinea, in what surely will be a massive boost for both countries. Until then, lets enjoy the quarterfinals.

Gabon Offside Quarterfinal Picks:

Angola v Ghana……….Angola, have to think the home side can advance one more round.

Algeria v Cote D’Ivoire………Cote D’Ivoire, haven’t seen anything from Algeria this tournament, very disappointing.

Egypt v Cameroon……….Egypt, wow what a match!

Nigeria v Zambia……….Zambia, the Chipolopolo spring another shock on a tournament full of them.

Gabon continued their tremendous run of form at the 2010 African Nations Cup, securing a 0-0 draw with group heavyweight Tunisia. This gives them four points from two matches, and leaves them top of the group with Cameroon to play Zambia later today.

Both teams had scoring chances in the first half, with Tunisia dominating for long stretches of play, but the Azingo Nationale kept them at bay. The best chance of the match came to Tunisia’s Amine Chermiti when he pounced on a short backpass, rounded the Panther’s keeper, but inexplicably rushed his shot, totally whiffing, and allowing Gabon to clear.

With this result, Gabon will now want Zambia and Cameroon to draw, which would leave them on four points, Tunisia and Zambia on two apiece, and Cameroon with one. Then as long as they do not lose their final match to Zambia, they will most likely be through as group winners. Another scenario, however unlikely, would be Zambia beating Cameroon, in which case Gabon and Zambia could stroll to a draw in their final match, likely eliminating Tunisia and Cameroon regardless of the result in that match. I’m not implying they would ever do such a thing, but we’ve seen it before at major tournaments.

So a phenomenal position to be in for a team which was predicated by many to finish third at best in a tough group.

In my last post I mentioned how Sami Eto’o was wary of the Azingo Nationale, and boy did he prove prescient. Key man Daniel Gabon slotted home in the 17th minute to give the Panthers a stunning victory in their group opener.

You can check out the winner here.

Needless to say its a phenomenal result for the Gabonese, and they are now one more good result away from qualifying for the knock out stages. Zambia and Tunisia play in the later match (Zambia lead 1-0 at the time of writing), but Gabon will be confident of advancing at this stage.

Group D

While group B may have been considered initially to be the ‘Group of Death’, group D is no slouch. Containing perennial contenders Cameroon, multiple world cup participant Tunisia, as well as southern African upstart Zambia, it will be an extremely difficult group for Gabon to emerge from. Nevertheless, Daniel Cousin and co will surely favor their chances to progress.

Cameroon – A side Gabon will be very familiar with, having faced them twice during World Cup qualifying. Although the Panthers lost both matches, they acquitted themselves well, and even super Lion Samuel Eto’o has expressed fear over their opening match with Gabon.

Tunisia – Still smarting from their failure to qualify for South Africa, the Carthage Eagles will nevertheless be a dangerous opponent. This is a match Gabon will view as the key if they would like to progress to the final eight.

Zambia – The Copper Bullets may be considered the underdogs of the group, but will be confident is using this status to their advantage. Manager Herve Renard has targeted the quarterfinals as a realistic goal, but time will tell if the southern African side can overcome their more accomplished opponents.

Gabon Squad

1 Didier Ovono (Le Mans)
2 Yves Bitseki Moto (Bitam)
3 Rodrigue Moundounga (AS Mangasport)
4 Boris Nguéma Békalé (USM Libreville)
5 Georges Ambourouet (Makedonija)
6 Bruno Ecuele Manga (Angers)
7 Moïse Brou (Brest)
8 Aymard Moro Mvé (KV Mechelen)
9 Ernest Akouassaga (Nantes)
10 Arsène Do Marcolino (Les Herbiers)
11 Paul Kessany (Istres)
12 Thierry Issiémou (Monastir)
13 Cédric Moubamba (Dhofar)
14 Arsène Copa (Győr)
15 Bruno Zita (Sivasspor)
16 Alain Djissikadié (Mazembe)
17 Daniel Cousin (Hull City)
18 Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Lille)
19 Fabrice Do Marcolino (Stade Laval)
20 Eric Mouloungui (Nice)
21 Willy Aubameyang (Eupen)
22 Erwin Nguéma Obame (Bitam)
23 Alexander Ndoumbou (Marseille)
Coach: Alain Giresse

Talisman Daniel Gabon will be looking to lead the Azingo Nationale out of the group stages, but he will also be assisted by ample talent. The Aubameyang brothers provide buckets of ability, while Fabrice Do Marcolino will look to bag the goals in front.

With the opener against Cameroon on Wednesday in Lugango fast approaching, lets hope the Panthers are ready to take it to their opponents and qualify for the second round!

Welcome to the Gabon National Football team blog, just in time for 2010 edition of the Africa Cup of Nations, otherwise known as the ANC. This years edition of the bi-annual African championship comes to us from Angola, where the simple act of hosting the tournament (well maybe not so simple) is a delightful achievement for a nation so recently removed from civil war. Before we get into the football, how about a brief introduction to Gabon itself?

Who Are Ya?

Gabon is a west African nation which is quite large for its population, in fact, with only 1.5 million people in an area almost the same size as Italy, it has one of the lowest population densities on earth. Thankfully, Gabon has managed to avoid the strife and turmoil that characterizes many of its west African neighbors, and there are a few reasons for this.
The first is that Gabon is endowed with some serious amounts of natural resources, specifically, oil. Couple that fact with its aforementioned tiny population, and you have a ton of money to go around. Add into the mix a continual French military presence (Gabon is a former colony), and the fact that they have had only two presidents since their independence in 1960, and the result is a very stable country, relative to its neighbors. That’s not to say all is rosy, as extreme inequality and crushing poverty confront the majority of the population on a daily basis. All in all however, they are in a better spot on the whole than many of their immediate neighbors.

The Important Stuff

Now to the football. To say Gabon punches above its weight would be an understatement. As mentioned earlier, with a population of only 1.5 million, it is staggering that it can have success on a football pitch, regularly competing with and beating nations with vastly larger player stocks. As a point of reference, Gabon finished its final qualifying round with 9 points, in a considerably more difficult group than say, Nigeria, who finished with 12 points (but has a population of over 150 million. Yeah.).
That qualifying group contained Gabon, Cameroon, Morocco and Togo, four teams who all could have legitimate aspirations of claiming the World Cup spot when the draw was announced. Togo had participated in Germany 2006, Morocco has played in four world cups, and no introduction needed for Cameroon, who ended up winning the spot on the final day, when Gabon lost to Togo, and the Indomitable Lions defeated Morocco.

Key Matches From Group A

Gabon 2 Morocco 1
The Black Panthers stun the Moroccans in Casablanca, setting the tone for the campaign on Matchday 1

Gabon 3 Togo 0

The Gabonese destroy Togo at home, almost ensuring a two horse race for the qualifying spot.

Cameroon 2 Gabon 0

In a tight game in Libreville, Emana and Eto’o ensure the victory for the Lions.

Togo 1 Gabon 0

On the final matchday, Adebayor sets up Floyd Ayite to smash home and end Gabons hopes for South Africa, but sending them to Angola in a very respectable 2nd place.

Final Standings in African Group A

Cameroon
Gabon
Togo
Morocco

In the next post we will take a look at some key players for the Black Panthers, and what their group in Angola looks like.