With eleven groups the qualifying format will see the eleven group winners qualify as well as the three best runner ups. Benin were seeded in pot 2 and placed in group H where they will face the following sides:

Côte d’Ivoire, Rwanda and Burundi

With the presence of Côte d’Ivoire in the group it is likely that Benin will be fighting to qualify as one of the three best runners up. The 2010 Nations Cup proved that Benin cannot yet go toe-to-toe with the giants of African football and Côte d’Ivoire are one of those giants at the moment.

Rwanda on the otherhand are anything but giants. They have only appeared at one Nations cup which was back in 2004, the same tournament where Benin made their debut. Unlike Benin however, that remains the high water mark of success for the Wasps of Rwanda. They were in the running for a place in the 2010 tournament making it to the final stage of qualifying but were outclassed by group mates Algeria, Egypt and Zambia. Benin cannot underestimate Rwanda but will be expecting to take at least four points from their two matches against the Rwandans and all six might be necessary. But it is not an easy task going to Kigali and grabbing a win. Nigeria can partly blame their failure to qualify for the 2006 World Cup on the fact that they were only able to get a draw against Rwanda in Kigali.

Burundi like most of the pot 4 sides are true minnows. They have never qualified for the Nations Cup before and will not be expected to do so this time around either. And unlike their neighbors to the north Rwanda, they have no real pedigree of any kind. They are weak on their travels and are not that formidable at home either. If Benin do not win both matches against Burundi they won’t be making the trip to the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations.

Benin have work to do if they want to qualify for a third successive Nations Cup but they have the ability ensure that they are one of the 14 sides that will qualify. It will be a tough ask but if they want to be taken seriously by the biggest sides in Africa they will need to prove their mettle once again.

I think it is safe to say Benin will not want to face Nigeria in the 2012 African Cup of Nations. They have faced the Super Eagles all in every Nations Cup they have appeared and have lost all three times scoring just one goal. While they don’t get destroyed they are also unable to win.

Today’s match was especially frustrating as Benin had a number of good chances with Stéphane Sessegnon once being denied by the crossbar and narrowly missing another time on a free kick. Nigeria would take the lead from the penalty spot as Yakubu slotted his penalty down the middle for the goal after Roumald Boco was penalized for a handball in the box. Boco really cannot be blamed for the handball as in my opinion it was the ball that played the hand and not the other way around. Boco could not react in time to a Osaze Odemwingie header just yards away from him that crashed into his arm which was raised in the air though. By no means do I think he was trying to knock the ball down with his arm. In any case the penalty was given and the Yak put in past Rachad Chitou in replaced the dropped Yoaan Djidonou after his exploits against Mozambique.

In the second half Sessegnon set up Nouihoum Kobena with a great chance only for Kobena to be denied by the post as well. Chitou later did well to deny Victor Obinna after Chinedu Ogbuke Obasi played him in with a great ball. Chitou would later have to be replaced due to injury for Djidonou. Nigeria looked to be tiring in the waning minutes but Benin could only resort to hapless long balls that led to nothing.

The loss leaves Benin’s chances of qualification for the quarterfinals in shambles. They must now defeat two time reigning champions Egypt who seem to be unbeatable in this tournament. And even if Benin defeat Egypt then they will need Mozambique to get a positive result against the Nigerians to have any chance of advancing. A Nigeria win eliminates Benin regardless of their result against Egypt.

Things look bleek for the Squirrels who once again do not look capable of challenging the big guns of African football at the Nations Cup. Hopefully they can be the team to finally defeat Egypt in the Nations Cup.

Unfortunately I was unable to watch and the match as I work, which will cause me to miss most of the tournament alas. So the game recap is mostly from the reports I have read.

Benin manager Michel Dussuyer deployed this line up which I think is precisely the 11 players I predicted would start:
Djidonou, Singbo, Chrysostome, Adenon, Boco, Tchomogo, Ahoueya, Ogunbiyi, Sessegnon, Pote and Omotoyossi.

Benin had a lively start to the game and created numerous chances early on and were rewarded in the 15th minute when Mouritala Ogunbiyi won a penalty after being brought down by the Mozambican keeper. Razak Omotoyossi stepped up to the penalty spot and buried it for a 1-0 lead, Benin’s first ever Nations Cup lead.

Benin would soon add a second goal with a bit of luck after Ogunbiyi was again causing danger and played a ball into Omotoyossi whose shot deflected off of Sessegnon leading to a poor own goal by Dario Khan who miscued his clearance. Up 2-0 it looked like it would be a good day for Benin.

Things turned though in the 28th minute when Benin keeper Yoaan Djidonou flapped at a corner allowing Lobo to head into an empty net to bring Mozambique back into the match. The half ended with Mozambique the more lively squad as Benin were trying to survive until halftime.

In the second half Omotoyossi had a great chance at scoring a second goal only to have Dario clear his goal bound effort away redeeming his earlier own goal. It would prove a vital intervention as in the 53rd minute Mozambique found their equalizer after a Djidonou clearance gifted Mozambique a throw in Domingues found Fumo in the penalty area to score on an empty net as Djidonou was out of position after his poor clearance. A real horror show from Djidonou today by the sounds of things.

Both sides had great chances at breaking the deadlock in the final 20 minutes with both Tico-Tico and Sessegnon both barely missing the target on what would have been certain goals. In the end neither side was able to find a winner and thus both are still winless all time in the Nations Cup.

For Benin it has to be a disappointment as this was a game they could have and probably should have won. Losing a two goal lead always hurts although at least this lead was lost relatively quickly and there was a lot of time left for Mozambique after they fell down 0-2.

Going forward Benin look to be in a lot of trouble now. There best chance at qualification was always by beating Mozambique and picking up points in one of the other games. Now they must beat either Egypt or Nigeria. Mission impossible by no means but a victory against either would be Benin’s greatest ever win.

Benin have been a country on the rise in African football but now it is time for the next step and that is by making an impact at the continent’s showcase event. In two previous appearances Benin has lost all six games scoring just one goal apiece. Their opening match in Angola has set them up with a perfect opportunity to grab three points or at the least one point. Mozambique are a side with even less pedigree in the 2000s than Benin having last appeared in the Nations Cup back in 1998 where they lost all three appearances. Mozambique of course are best known for their recent home defeat of the Carthage Eagles of Tunisia in World Cup qualifying. That victory sent Mozambique to Angola and Tunisia crashing out of South Africa.

Mozambique probably do not have even players familiar to most fans but they are led by a Tico-Tico and Dário both of whom have over 80 caps for their country. For Tico-Tico it is probably his last shot at Nations Cup glory and Dário who is 32 will not want to let this opportunity slip without making his mark because he may not be back either. One name to watch is Mexer who has recently joined Portuguese giants Sporting CP. He will likely be one of the anchors at the back for the Mambas. The other name to watch is that of defensive midfielder Simão Junior of Greek club Panathinaikos. The 21 year old is highly rated having made 45 appearances for his club since 2007.

Benin boast a few familiar names to fans of European football particularly those following France’s Ligue 1. The only instantly recognizable name though is that of Stéphane Sessegnon of PSG. If Benin are going to make a mark in Angola then Sessegnon must be the maestro of the Benin attack. He is the most creative player on the squad and is truly capable of being a match winner. He is also a bit of a mercurial player who can drift out of games so Benin will have to hope that he is at the top of his game.

Benin will rely on Razak Omotoyossi of second division French side Metz for goals. Omotoyossi scored 8 of Benin’s goals in World Cup qualification and they owe a big burden of thanks to Omotoyossi for their qualification in Angola. Omotoyossi should get support from Nice’s Mickaël Poté who recently came off the bench and scored his first two goals for Nice in their most recent league game. Poté will be hoping to make a similar impact for his country. The other man they will look to for goals is World Cup qualifying hero Mohamed Aoudou. Aoudou is the man who scored Benin’s famous winner at home over Ghana in World Cup qualifying to secure their spot in the Nations Cup. He also scored the equalizer at home against Mali. The 21-year old currently plays for Évian TG a low division French side but he has shined in his national teams shirt recently.

Players such as the experienced Seidath Tchomogo who has 34 caps, Mouritala Ogunbiyi with 32, Jocelyn Ahouéya with 43 and Pascal Angan are likely to fill out the midfield along with Sessegnon. Defensively Damien Chrysostome of Turkish side Denizlispor, Khaled Adenon of French side Bastia former club of Didier Drogba along with Roumald Boco and Félicien Singbo figure to anchor the back. In goal will likely be Rachad Chitou though Yoann Djidonou could be the choice.

Here is the full squad list called up by French coach Michel Dussuyer:

Keepers
1 Yoann Djidonou (Libourne)
2 Rachad Chitou (Wikki Tourists)
3 Valere Amoussou (AS Porto-Novo)

Defenders
4 Khaled Adenon (Bastia)
5 Mouftaou Adou (Aspac)
6 Romuald Boco (Sligo Rovers)
7 Damien Chrysostome (Denizlispor)
8 Emmanuel Imorou (Gueugnon)
9 Réda Johnson (Plymouth Argyle)
10 Junior Salomon (Aspac)
11 Félicien Singbo (Lokomotiv Plovdiv)

Midfielders
12 Gérard Adanhoume (FC Soleil)
13 Jocelyn Ahouéya (FC Sion)
14 Djiman Koukou (Évian TG)
15 Seidath Tchomogo (East Riffa)
16 Pascal Angan (Wydad Casablanca)
17 Mouritala Ogunbiyi (Guingamp)
18 Arnaud Seka (Tonnerre d’Abomey)
19 Stéphane Sessegnon (Paris Saint-Germain)

Attackers
20 Mohamed Aoudou (Évian TG)
21 Nouhoum Kobéna (Almadina)
22 Razak Omotoyossi (Metz)
23 Mickaël Poté (Nice)

Benin prepared for the Nations Cup with a 1-0 win over Libya at home in Cotonou back on the 6th. They will look to build on that victory on Tuesday agains the well organized Mozambican side. Mozambique may not have many well known players but they should not be underestimated as Nigeria and Tunisia both found out. Nigeria could only draw when they faced the Mozambicans in Maputo while the Tunisians tasted defeat. However, away from home Mozambique were not anywhere near as potent. This match is the best chance Benin have ever had at winning in the Nations Cup. It is the first time that the squad probably expects to win so it will be interesting to see how they handle the challenge posed by the Mozambican team which will probably look to keep things tight at the back and go after Benin on the counter attack.

Prediction:
I think it will be a very competitive match and Mozambique will limit Benin’s chances but I think the Squirrels will come away with a hard fought 2-1 win goals courtesy of Omotoyossi and Sessegnon for Benin while Tico-Tico will score for Mozambique. With games against Egypt and Nigeria following this one, Benin know they defeat the Mambas if they hold any hope of making it to the Quarterfinals.

From pot 1 Benin drew the two-time defending champions and six times champions overall Egypt. This Egyptian side has clearly been the class of the Nations Cup for the last four years now. However, once again they have failed to qualify for the World Cup following a 1-0 defeat to Algeria in a one game playoff last Wednesday. Since then the Egyptian football federation has threatened to withdraw from international football and continue their juvenile war with World Cup dream crushers Algeria. No one would argue that Egypt have a superior side in comparison to Benin but it remains to be seen how Egypt recover from the heartbreak of the Algeria defeat. Will they go to Angola ready to defend their title or will they still be dwelling on their continued World Cup failure. At the end of the day nothing Egypt do in Angola will change the fact that for now they are known as World Cup chokers. The sides inability to qualify for the World Cup will over shadow any Nations Cup success they have until they can finally make it back to the World Cup. Egypt could be ripe for an upset at the hands of Benin or they could be in all conquering Nations Cup form. I think it will be somewhere in the middle which means a result is certainly within Benin’s reach.

Out of pot 2 Benin drew perennial World Cup qualifiers Nigeria who somewhat miraculously qualified for South Africa after an away win in Kenya coupled with a Mozambique victory over Tunisia. Benin faced Nigeria in the last Nations Cup in Ghana in the final match of the group stages. Nigeria were victors in that match by a 2-0 scoreline. That was not a particularly inspiring Nigeria side, though this current Nigerian side is also filled with flaws despite the abundance of talent. Again though, like with Egypt, Nigeria are a superior side. Plus the Nigerians should be motivated to show that they are truly back to being one of the juggernauts of African football and they can do so by claiming their third Nations Cup title. It will be a very tough ask for Benin to get a result in this match but with Nigeria routinely putting in Jekyll & Hyde performances mean Benin will be in with a chance.

And finally out of pot 4 Benin drew the aforementioned Mozambique. The Mozambicans are currently honorary Nigerians for their role in sending Nigeria to the World Cup. Mozambique are making their first appearance in the Nations Cup since 1998 and just their 4th appearance overall so they will be looking for a strong performance after such a long wait. Mozambique like Benin have never made it out of the group stages but unlike Benin they have won a solitary point coming in 1-1 draw with Tunisia all the way back in 1996. They have lost every other match they have contested so like Benin they will be gunning for their first ever Nations Cup win. And both sides will see their match against each other as the prime opportunity to notch their first ever win. Mozambique were a most impressive side at home in World Cup qualifying as neither Côte d’Ivoire, Nigeria or Tunisia were able to leave Mozambique with three points. Their away side was less impressive though losing all three away matches in the final stage though they did win away in Botswana and draw in Madagascar in the previous stage, though those two countries are both minnows. So the question with Mozambique will be can they only perform at home or will they be a formidable side on neutral soil as well. Whatever the answer this is certainly the game that Benin will see as their best opportunity at picking up a historic first ever Nations Cup win.

Here is Benin’s match schedule in the group stages:

12 January in Benguela vs. Mozambique
16 January in Benguela vs. Nigeria
20 January in Benguela vs. Egypt

The order of matches for Benin is favorable as they if can defeat Mozambique in the first match then they will certainly be in contention for the knockouts and a draw against one of the group heavyweights could be enough. If Benin are to shock the continent and make it out of the group they would face one of the following four teams in the Quarterfinals: Cameroon, Gabon, Tunisia or Zambia.

Nonetheless it was a great chance for Benin to further prove their credentials by picking up an away win and they duly delivered. Benin scored the opening goal from the penalty spot courtesy of Razak Omotoyossi in the 36th minute. It was the 8th goal of the entire qualification process for Omotoyossi making him the third higest scoring in qualifying, tied with Frédéric Kanouté of Mali and behind only Burkina Faso’s Moumouni Dagano who scored 12 times and Cameroon’s Samuel Eto’o with 9 goals.

Sudan would level matters in stoppage time, also from the penalty spot, with Hassan Ishag converting. The match went into halftime all squared. Benin would grab the winning goal in the 62nd minute through Roumald Boco.

The three points for Benin gave them a total of 10 points which ended up being good enough for second in the group. Ghana finished atop the group of course, accumulating 13 points after grabbing only point in their final two fixtures which were dead fixtures as far as the Black Stars were concerned. Mali who were once again a disappointment finished in third place with 9 points and the poor Sudanese finished well back of the pack with a solitary point which came in their first match at home against Mali.

For Benin it was undoubtedly their best ever World Cup qualifying campaign. While they never came close to an historic World Cup qualification they did record their best ever win against Ghana and in general were more competitive then have ever been before in World Cup qualifying. Plus it is important to remember that they helped knock out 2006 finalists Angola in the prior round as well as Uganda.

Next up for Benin is the African Cup of Nations in Angola in January. That was the realistic objective for Benin from the beginning and they achieved that objective. It is just their 3rd ever Nations Cup appearance though they have now qualified for 3 of the last 4 editions. The task for Benin in Angola will be to record their first ever positive result. They have played 6 matches at the African Cup of Nations and lost them all. The next step in Benin’s progression up the African ladder will be to knock off some of the bigger guns in the Nations cup and grab their first points.

The draw for the Nations Cup takes place this friday in Angola. I will certainly have a post up with my reactions to their draw sometime over the weekend.

With nothing really at stake, I don’t have too much to say about this match so that is why the post is so brief. As for a prediction, I think Benin will narrowly emerge with a 2-1 win though a draw would hardly surprise. The result will more than likely come down to how each side approaches the match. With the Sudanese players knowing they won’t have any significant matches until qualifying for the 2010 Nations Cup gets underway I would probably expect them to have less motivation despite playing at home. The Benin players should at least be motivated to cement their places in the starting eleven and/or making their case to go to Angola.

At the end of the day as long as no one picks up any significant injuries it is a winning formula for Benin. A win would be yet another step forward for the former minnows but emerging with no one in the casualty ward should be the top priority.

It was a match that had no meaning for Ghana who had already qualified for the World Cup (and they can partially thank Benin for that as it was Mohamed Aoudou who got Benin’s equaliser against Mali in the last fixture that allowed Ghana to qualify). For Benin it means their final match in Sudan will be a tense affair as Benin know completed the job. Despite the fact that Ghana were playing merely for pride this is still one of the biggest wins in Benin football history. Beating a continental giant like Ghana does happen everyday, especially for a side that are recently shedding the minnow label.

Now Benin can prepare for Angola where hopefully they can claim their first ever point in the Nations Cup. It may not be the World Cup but Benin continue there steady progress and are now firmly among Africa’s middle-weight sides. Not yet a heavy-weight but certainly no longer a minnow.

And sorry for the lack of posts in recent months. I hope to be able to regularly update the Benin blog in the lead up to and during their Nations Cup adventure.

They look for the first time like a side capable of challenging for a World Cup berth. To do that they will have to grab a massive road win. What would surely be one of their best road wins ever if not the best. The opposition are the talented but admittedly overrated Malians. Mali are a side that best names like Kanoute, Keita, Sissoko and Diarra, though not all those players are available. They are also a side that have never done anything of significance before. They made a timid exit at the Nations Cup in 2008 though not before scraping past Benin. They were never for a minute challenged for a place in Germany in 2006. The best Mali have done is make the quarterfinals at the 2004 Olympics at the under-23 level as well as fourth place finishes at the 2002 and 2004 Nations Cup, one of those being at home. Recently they have fell flat of absurdly high expectations.

Still a win in Mali would be a huge accomplishment for Benin. A win is not essential, what Benin have to do is match Ghana’s result away to Sudan. I am expecting Ghana to claw through and grab a win in Omdurman. In that instance Benin will have to win in Mali in maybe their most important match ever. A win against Mali and Benin should push Ghana to the very end. Both sides have two homes matches in three after this weekends road fixtures. The penultimate fixture is Benin at home to Ghana in Cotonou. If Benin are within three points of Ghana coming into that match then that would officially become the biggest match in Benin history.

The goal is to get to that match within three points. That is why Sunday’s match agains Mali is of the uptmost importance. Can Omotoyossi and Sessegnon and the rest of Benin’s best ever generation of footballers get the job done?

I very much hope so and will give an optimistic 2-1 win to Benin to keep the pressure on Ghana.