Football: South Africa fire only blanks
South Africa, hosts of the 2010 World Cup, were eliminated without a point or a goal to their name last night when they lost 1-0 to Zambia yesterday. Chris Katongo, who plays his club football in South Africa with Jomo Cosmos, scored the only goal with a quarter of an hour remaining. Zambia, like Bafana Bafana unable to progress whatever the result, looked the more likely to score and the breakthrough arrive in the 75th minute when Clive Hachilensa whipped in a cross and Pierre Issa, once of Watford, appeared to duck out of a header allowing Katongo to prod the ball in from close range.
Guinea took top place in Group C with a 3-0 win over the defending champions Tunisia. The two teams had already booked places in the next phase and both coaches opted to make changes, with the new-look Guinea dominating throughout. They recorded their victory thanks to goals from Ousmane Bangoura, Pascal Feindouno and Kaba Diawara while Tunisia had Issam Mardassi sent off for a foul with 10 minutes to go.
Bangoura put Guinea in front in the 16th minute when he picked up a return pass and drilled it into the far corner. Their second arrived in the 70th minute when the substitute Feindouno shrugged off his marker and placed a low shot into the corner from the edge of the box. Then, in injury-time, Feindouno provided Diawara, the former Arsenal and West Ham forward, with the easiest of finishes.