Scoring big

The second round of the Group C fixtures begins today at the Haras Al-Hedoud Stadium in Alexandria

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With three points each, Tunisia and Guinea play their second game more relaxed than South Africa and Zambia, both of whom lost their openers and will be fighting to secure their places in the group qualifications, reports Inas Mazhar.

Zambia plays Guinea while the defending champions Tunisia clash with the South Africans. The games begin at 17.15 and 20.00 local time.

Group C had been expected to be the easiest of groups. Tunisia scored the biggest win in the tournament up until then when they knocked out the Zambians 4-1.

The Carthage Eagles came from behind after they were down 1-0. Francileudo dos Santos, born in Brazil, is now in his third year with the Tunisian team and continued his scoring run for the Carthage Eagles as they defeated Zambia.

The Tunisians were supported by hundreds of their fans who followed them to the Mediterranean city of Alexandria, which is relatively close.

They are joined in poll position in the group by Guinea, who gained in confidence as their match progressed against South Africa and scored twice late in the match for a 2-0 triumph. The Syli Nationale victory over the 1996 champions South Africa was the biggest surprise of that group.

The 2010 World Cup hosts South Africa turned in another disappointing performance and now have an uphill task if they are make the knockout stages.

Dos Santos' hat-trick kept the goal tally at the tournament mounting, 24 hours after Samuel Eto'o had blasted in three for Cameroon in their game against Angola.

The Toulouse striker picked up where he had left off at the last Nations Cup in Tunisia, where his inclusion in the side was one of the catalysts for their 2004 triumph.

On Sunday, on the Mediterranean coast where rain fell lightly through the proceedings, he came good again helping Tunisia to easily bounce back after Zambia had handed them an early scare.

Zambia were always going to pose a threat with the skill and the pace of James Chamanga who caught the Tunisians out as early as the ninth minute. He latched onto a defensive error and pounced on the ball before Tunisia's 39- year-old goalkeeper, Ali Boumnijel, to score.

But that was as far as Zambia got with any enterprise as the slicker and more polished Tunisians quickly clawed their way back into the contest.

After a few near misses it was Dos Santos who got the equaliser, heading home Adel Chedli's cross 10 minutes before the break.

Soon after the interval, the writing was on the wall for the young Zambians, who fell victim to naïve defending as Tunisian captain Riadh Bouazizi snapped up a cross and swivelled a header past goalkeeper George Kolola.

Dos Santos finished them off in the last six minutes with a display of the direct running that was such a feature of the last Nations Cup tournament.

He took two fine goals to emphasise that the chase for the African title could yet be decided by the form of the continent's top marksmen.

Guinea saved their strikers for late on in the game against Bafana Bafana, bringing on Sambegou Bangoura and Ousmane Bangoura to take the two points.

Coach Patrice Neveu called it a "satisfying win against a prestigious team" and must take credit for his crafty changes.

Sambegou Bangoura scored just minutes after coming on, getting his body onto a cross from another substitute, the right- winger Ismael Bangoura.

It was a festival of Bangouras in the last minutes when Ousmane, who plays at Charleroi in Belgium, added a second from close range.

South Africa were never in the game, as their coach Ted Dumitru admitted afterwards.

He said his players had been complacent after the high of a pre-tournament win over Egypt in a friendly match eight days earlier.

South Africa's tournament could well be over if they lose to Tunisia.