Set to stun in the sun

By Matt Spiro

North African neighbours Tunisia and Morocco will be competing in this weekend's African Cup of Nations final, but European supporters will have reason to cheer whoever wins.

European stars
Hosts Tunisia overcame a star-studded Nigeria in a penalty shoot-out, while Morocco inflicted a 4-0 defeat on upstarts Mali, with plenty of European-based talent on all four teams in Wednesday's semi-finals.

Kanouté impresses
French-born Mali striker Frédéric Kanouté might have had a quiet day against Morocco, but the Tottenham Hotspur FC player, who caused a stir when he took advantage of a FIFA rule change to adopt Malian citizenship last month, has been an instant hit with the West African side.

'Focal point'
The 26-year-old is the tournament's joint top-scorer with four goals from four matches, including Mali's equaliser in the 2-1 quarter-final win over Guinea. Coach Henri Stambouli was delighted with Kanouté's displays. "Freddie is a valuable addition to the team because he provides a focal point to our attack and his finishing is superior to most strikers' in the competition," he said.

Combative Diarra
In total, 18 of Mali's 22 players are based in Europe. Captain Mahmadou Diarra, who is with French champions Olympique Lyonnais, struck Mali's winner against Guinea and produced some typically combative midfield displays, while the surging runs of SC Freiburg midfield player Soumaila Coulibaly provided a constant threat.

Okocha resplendent
Perhaps the tournament's outstanding performer, however, has been Nigeria captain Jay-Jay Okocha. The Bolton Wanderers FC playmaker has been at his masterful best in recent weeks, scoring the 1000th goal in African Cup of Nations history when he converted a penalty against South Africa. But it was his sumptuous curling free-kick against defending champions Cameroon in the quarter-final that will live long in the memory.

'True inspiration'
RC Lens's John Utaka and Peter Odemwingie of RAA Louviéroise also registered two goals apiece, but Utaka has no doubt which player made Nigeria tick. "Jay-Jay is the team's engine," he said. "He takes control of the game and gets the rest of us going. He's a true inspiration."

Moroccan defence
The key to Morocco's success has been a solid back line expertly marshalled by RC Deportivo La Coruña defender Nourredine Naybet. The Atlas Lions did not concede a single goal in qualification and have seen their defence breached just twice en route to the final. Naybet believes that his central defensive partners, Abdeslam Ouaddou of Stade Rennais FC and Talal El-Karkouri of Paris Saint-Germain FC, deserve much of the credit for that.

Birthday boy
"People talk about my experience but these two also play in a top European league and they are used to playing in pressure games," said the Morocco captain, who celebrated his 34th birthday on Tuesday. "They make my job easier because they are always in the right place at the right time. We are also lucky to have an excellent goalkeeper in Khalid Fouhami of Portuguese side AA Coimbra."

Tunisian titans
Hosts Tunisia, coached by 1998 FIFA World Cup winner Roger Lemerre, also have their European-based stars to thank for their progress to the final. FC Sochaux Montbéliard's Brazilian-born forward Francileudo Dos Santos has given the Carthage Eagles a cutting edge in attack, scoring three of their eight goals. Selim Benachour of PSG and Gaziantepspor's Ziad Jaziri have helped provide the ammunition for Santos, as well as weighing in with one goal apiece.