Chris Maduewesi
Member
To the Nigerian fan there isn't much allure watching the 2015 African Cup of Nations tournament, simply because the Super Eagles didn't make it to Equatorial Guinea.
Nigeria's failure to secure qualification made many people on this part of the divide develop an apathy for the tournament.
However the tournament so far has been filled with lots of excitement for the neutrals who saw the group matches.
Although some could argue that there were a lot of draws witnessed in the first twenty four matches of the competition, however it showed the competitiveness of the teams on parade.
No team had a cakewalk, in fact they were all made to toil hard before the quarter-finalists emerged. Even a place is still up for grabs between Mali and Guinea who were both squared after the group game.
There have been some shock eliminations, with Cameroon, Burkina Faso, Gabon and Senegal all exiting in the group stages, further underlining how interesting the tournament has been.
So far, top level football has been seen by the teams who have lit up the stage with glittering displays.
Below, I have picked my three best teams in the group stages of the competition.
1) Congo:
Under Claude Le Roy, an unheralded Congo team won their first Nations Cup match in 40 years at this competition.
And they topped their group with seven points, the highest points tally in all of the four groups of the competition.
Not many reckoned with them emerging from group A, but under the guidance of Le Roy they showed great character, determination and were fearless against the teams they came up against.
Congo showed that their denying Nigeria qualification for the Nations Cup is no fluke and that they themselves deserve to be there.
2) Ghana:
Coming from losing their first game against Senegal, the Black Stars of Ghana went on to top their perceived group of death.
Particularly impressive was their game against Algeria where a last minute goal from Asamaoh Gyan was the decisive factor in the 1-0 win over the Desert Foxes.
Ghana shook off the disappointment of their first loss and won their next two matches.
In their last game against the Bafana Bafana of South Africa, they had to show patience until the last twenty minutes to come up with the last two goals that steered Ghana to a 2-1 victory.
3) Guinea:
Irrespective of the outcome of the drawing of lots, Guinea have shown that they can match up with the big guys.
They were swashbuckling and played fantastic football that was pleasing to the eye.
They held powerhouses like Ivory Coast, Cameroon to 1-1 draws apiece in the two games against them.
And with their inspirational player Ibrahima Traore, Guinea looked like a team out to prove a point.
Of all the 16 teams, Guinea towers as the only country who showed great artistry and never played a dour match in any of their three matches.
Nigeria's failure to secure qualification made many people on this part of the divide develop an apathy for the tournament.
However the tournament so far has been filled with lots of excitement for the neutrals who saw the group matches.
Although some could argue that there were a lot of draws witnessed in the first twenty four matches of the competition, however it showed the competitiveness of the teams on parade.
No team had a cakewalk, in fact they were all made to toil hard before the quarter-finalists emerged. Even a place is still up for grabs between Mali and Guinea who were both squared after the group game.
There have been some shock eliminations, with Cameroon, Burkina Faso, Gabon and Senegal all exiting in the group stages, further underlining how interesting the tournament has been.
So far, top level football has been seen by the teams who have lit up the stage with glittering displays.
Below, I have picked my three best teams in the group stages of the competition.
1) Congo:
Under Claude Le Roy, an unheralded Congo team won their first Nations Cup match in 40 years at this competition.
And they topped their group with seven points, the highest points tally in all of the four groups of the competition.
Not many reckoned with them emerging from group A, but under the guidance of Le Roy they showed great character, determination and were fearless against the teams they came up against.
Congo showed that their denying Nigeria qualification for the Nations Cup is no fluke and that they themselves deserve to be there.
2) Ghana:
Coming from losing their first game against Senegal, the Black Stars of Ghana went on to top their perceived group of death.
Particularly impressive was their game against Algeria where a last minute goal from Asamaoh Gyan was the decisive factor in the 1-0 win over the Desert Foxes.
Ghana shook off the disappointment of their first loss and won their next two matches.
In their last game against the Bafana Bafana of South Africa, they had to show patience until the last twenty minutes to come up with the last two goals that steered Ghana to a 2-1 victory.
3) Guinea:
Irrespective of the outcome of the drawing of lots, Guinea have shown that they can match up with the big guys.
They were swashbuckling and played fantastic football that was pleasing to the eye.
They held powerhouses like Ivory Coast, Cameroon to 1-1 draws apiece in the two games against them.
And with their inspirational player Ibrahima Traore, Guinea looked like a team out to prove a point.
Of all the 16 teams, Guinea towers as the only country who showed great artistry and never played a dour match in any of their three matches.