adminJOHANNESBURG. — Ebola-ravaged Guinea defied the odds to reach the 2015 African Cup of Nations soccer finals, while the murder of South Africa captain Senzo Meyiwa cast a dark shadow over the qualifying competition. Forced to switch three fixtures from Conakry to Casablanca, the Guineans defeated Uganda 2-0 at “home” in a winners-take-all showdown on Wednesday to secure a place among 16 finalists.
Coached by Frenchman Michel Dussuyer, Guinea rely mainly on professionals scattered across Europe like Slovakia-based striker Seydouba Soumah, who struck five goals.
Guinea and fellow West African states Liberia and Sierra Leone have been hardest hit by the deadly Ebola virus, which has claimed nearly 5 200 lives this year, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO).
Goalkeeper Meyiwa (27) kept four consecutive clean sheets to set up South Africa for a return to the biennial African football showcase after a three-tournament absence.
The hugely popular star was gunned down by armed robbers while visiting his pop singer girlfriend Kelly Khumalo near Johannesburg last month ahead of the final two qualifiers.
Replacement goalkeeper Darren Keet sported a moving, handwritten quote from the Bible on his gloves for the qualification-clinching victory over Sudan in Durban. — AFP.
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