Only one

Out of the five African qualifiers for Germany 2006, Côte d'Ivoire were the only survivors left among the last four in the African Cup of Nations

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Egypt's Emad Moteb in action at the Egypt Senegal match; Mido yells at head coach Hassan Shehata for substituting him; Egyptian fans continue backing and supporting the Pharaohs in their final campaign towards winning a fifth African Nations Cup title on Friday

Angola, Ghana and Togo crashed out in the first round and Tunisia lost their Cup of Nations crown in a penalty shoot-out against Nigeria.

The Ivorians are aware of their burden but carry it willingly. "We are proving that we belong at the World Cup," said coach Henri Michel as his side traveled to the Mediterranean city of Alexandria for their meeting with Nigeria.

The two countries faced each other for the first time in a competitive match since the 1994 Nations Cup semi-final in Tunis, where Nigeria's Super Eagles won 4-2 on penalties after a thrilling 2-2 draw in which all four goals came in the opening half.

Nigeria's Augustine Eguavoen admits his side were a little fortunate to progress past Tunisia in the last eight but added: "Sometimes you need a little luck to help you through.

"For us, this tournament is all about making up for the disappointment of recent Nations Cups and, of course, not getting to the World Cup in Germany," said the full-back.

The Super Eagles are arguably the future face of African football with plenty of promising youngsters in their side.

The Ivorians, meanwhile, helped by the scoring prowess of Didier Drogba, progressed to the last four after losing to Egypt in their final Group A match in Cairo and then overcoming Cameroon in the quarter-finals in a dramatic penalty shootout.

Drogba converted the winning penalty kick after his big rival for the mantle of Africa's top footballer -- Samuel Eto'o of Cameroon -- missed his second attempt.