22 February 2011
You can follow Live Play-by-Play coverage of the 2011 CHAN semifinals on MTNFootball.com with the first match between Algeria and Tunisia at 14h00 GMT and the second between Sudan and Angola at 17h30 GMT.
The 2011 African Nations Championship semifinals take place in Sudan today and the coaches of the four participating teams all believe they have the right mix to go all the way in the competition.
Sudan will take on Angola in the semis, while the other clash is an all-north African affair as Algeria take on Tunisia.
Tunisian coach Sami Trabelsi says his side did not have a great build-up to the tournament with the political changes in the country, but that they have got better as the competition has gone along.
“The team found it difficult getting into the competition,” Trabelsi said. “We really did not train like we would have expected because of circumstances beyond our control.”
But the coach added that those political changes might also inspire his side to a tournament win.
I think out players have the zeal to take something important to the Tunisian people by winning the trophy here in Sudan,” he said.
His counterpart, Abdelhak Benchikha from Algeria, said he expected his side to be professional in the way in which they approached the game.
“We will be very attentive, I have asked my players to be less aggressive and not to dispute the referees decisions. I want to play a good game, without any yellow cards. It will be a sign of friendship towards others who may doubt our fraternity,” Benchikha said.
Angola coach Lito says he does not want the hard work his players have put in to go to waste when they meet the hosts in their Last Four clash.
“We have worked really hard to reach the semi-finals. I accept that the team has not played very well so far but the most important thing is that we are still in contention for the title,” Lito says.
“A positive mentality has been a big factor. Our stoppage-time equaliser against Tunisia proves that we never give up. We trailed in that game for a long time but the players responded very well.”
Finally, Sudan coach Mohamed Abdallah says he hopes his players will seize the moment and do the job without trying to impress in the way they play. What matters most is the result.
“The problem is partly due to the mentality of my players who want to score classic goals in front of the home crowd.”
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