adminhis tiny west African nation through the toughest of all the first round groups to an improbable and historic place in the quarter-finals.
Few would have bet before the start of battle that Adebayor’s Togo, ranked a lowly 77 in Fifa’s world rankings, would finish above Tunisia and Algeria in Group D.
This is their first taste of the knockout stages at the seventh attempt and Adebayor’s part in the writing of this fairy tale is substantial.
On the pitch he cuts a formidable, surly figure — on Wednesday night he had something of the Samuel L. Jackson’s about him.
He opened his 2013 Nations Cup account in the 2-0 win over Algeria, and his pass set up Serge Gapke to score in Wednesday night’s 1-1 draw with Tunisia.
That stalemate bagged Togo the runners-up spot in Group D behind Ivory Coast and a last-eight meeting with neighbours Burkina Faso in this north-eastern city on Sunday.
Not bad for a team that was originally barred from entering the competition by Africa’s ruling body Caf as punishment for government interference when they withdrew from the 2010 Cup in Angola after the Cabinda machine-gun attack.
Off the pitch, Adebayor has used his status as a top striker to take on the Togo Football Federation in a row over bonuses, team security and conditions that, at one stage, threatened his participation in South Africa.
A little bit of arm-twisting from Togo President Faure Gnassingbe helped persuade him to travel to South Africa. — AFP.
Online Reporter