Just a quick wrapup of the two exciting games from yesterday.

Nigeria vs Cote d'Ivoire was obviously the neutral's choice fixture of the group stages (and possibly the whole tournament), and even though there was just a single goal, it was a very entertaining game. The goal itself was a wonder goal by Salomon Kalou, beating 4 Nigerian defenders before drilling the ball past Ejide in goal. Taye Taiwo came very close early on with a thumping long-range free-kick that ricocheted off the bar. Yaya Toure was outstanding for the Elephants, and it's amazing how much he's improved since the World Cup in 2006, becoming a regular for Barcelona along the way. Nigeria have 8 strikers in the squad, and started with 4 (Kanu, Martins, Yakubu and Utaka), but as ever they are prone to disorganisation. Previously they had Jay-Jay Okocha as the playmaker that brought them together, but at the moment Seyi Olofinjana is not good enough, and John Obi Mikel is still too much of a holding player.

The Elephants had Drogba battling away up front all game, but it was Kalou who really added the spark up front. Meite and Gohouri were shaky at the back, especially against Martins' pace, but Kolo Toure was immense as always, and Arthur Boka was quite nifty. There were great individual skills on show, lots of power, lots of pace, and more than a few good chances, but profligacy and lack of composure meant that the goals count was minimal.

As for Benin vs Mali? Well Benin were highly unfancied, and they lost as expected, although they did give Mali a very tough game. Fredi Kanoute was quite disappointing for the Malians, as was Mahamadou Diarra (although he was solid), but when Mamady Sidibe was fouled in the box, it was Kanoute who calmly and efficiently despatched the penalty.

Benin really upped the tempo when they went a goal down, and were it not for a combination of some last-ditch interceptions and wasteful passing in the final third, they could easily have had 4 or 5 clear chances on goal. Stephane Sessignon was a classy presence for Benin, but it was Razak Omotoyossi who really stood out as the most exciting Beninese player in the second half, taking the game almost single-handedly to the Malians. It was a tight game overall, and Benin had set out with a 4-5-1, seeking to capitalise on any mistakes. Unfortunately the penalty threw their plans into disarray, but they really made a go of it, and that will give them confidence to perhaps be more attacking for the rest of their matches. 

Taking a look at the various squads, it seems that Côte d'Ivoire have the strongest squad in the tournament. Their stars include:

Kolo Toure (Arsenal)
Emmanuel Eboue (Arsenal)
Didier Drogba (Chelsea)
Salomon Kalou (Chelsea)
Yaya Toure (Barcelona)
Didier Zokora (Tottenham)
Arouna Koné (Sevilla)

Those are some exceptionally talented players, from some exceptionally big teams, and the attacking talent in that group is world class, and the defenders pretty strong too.

There are a lot of other teams with a few good players, but not with that many big names in the same side.

Nigeria run a close second with Yakubu Aiyegbeni, Obafemi Martins, Stephen Makinwa, John Utaka, John Obi Mikel, and Taye Taiwo, but their defence is very suspect. 

Cameroon have a squad with great overall strength, although they lack players in midfield to pull the strings, and their talisman Samuel Eto'o is still not yet fit after his long layoff from injury.

Despite all of these comparisons though, the competition is still going to be fierce. African teams at the World Cup is one story, African teams playing other African teams is another. Upsets take place galore, and the style of football, while perhaps being tactically/defensively suspect, provides a whole-hearted commitment to attacking and flamboyance that shoud make for some fantastic viewing.