By Adam Burrows, Boston.com Correspondent

There’s been much to celebrate at the Africa Cup of Nations.

Just days before the start of the competition, crews in Libreville were still working around the clock to finish construction in and around the sparkling new 40,000 seat Gabon-China Friendship Stadium, built by Shanghai Construction with Chinese government support.

Still-veiled statues and shrink-wrapped palm trees blocked the main entrance, while workers paved roads and dug trenches to address problems with the water table.

Yet even as excitement built to a crescendo in the bustling capital city of a half-million plus on the Gulf of Guinea, an air of serenity pervaded the preparations. In the end, almost everything was ready in time for the opening match.

Gabon used the occasion to launch its omnipresent 3-0 campaign against AIDS (zero transmission, zero deaths, zero discrimination) with Samuel Eto’o on hand as the initiative’s public face.

Accompanied by the Cameroonian superstar, the Gabonese first lady directed a field full of schoolchildren as they sent aloft red and white balloons in a tasteful opening ceremony marking the start of the campaign.

The Libreville stadium was packed with wildly enthusiastic Gabonese fans in yellow and blue for the games involving the home side just as the Bata Stadium was filled with adoring red-clad fans when co-host Equatorial Guinea took the field.

Stirring, last-minute hometown victories and unexpected advances to the knockout round sent local supporters into delirium, with dancing and celebrations spilling onto the streets.

For the media, the reception was welcoming and facilities modern, with armies of solicitous volunteers standing at the ready to assist. Though information was usually late to arrive, the logistical intricacies of scheduling and transportation came off with only a rare hitch.

The soccer itself has been solid, with close games, spectacular goals, and not a single 0-0 draw.

But off the pitch, apart from the moments of drama, away from cameras and microphones, a tale of unfortunate circumstance and missed opportunity was unfolding.

There was a price to pay for leaving it until late.

The stadiums emptied out for the matches following those involving Gabon and Equatorial Guinea, and, other than the slender sections housing the spirited supporters who had made the long journey from their home countries to central Africa with their drums and flags, crowds were sadly sparse.

One was left to wonder why unsold tickets were not distributed to local residents and schoolchildren. Hawkers selling merchandise and souvenirs were strangely absent.

Perhaps this isn’t surprising.

Gabon and Equatorial Guinea are difficult to reach, the distances between venues hard to traverse. There is little tourist infrastructure and both countries are expensive, even by western standards, which becomes understandable when one realizes that nearly everything is imported.

Still, local merchants expecting a small windfall were sorely disappointed.

A government worker in the Ministry of Commerce expressed frustration that there was little promotion of the event and little effort to accommodate visitors traveling from afar. Taxi drivers and hotel workers complained that tickets were unaffordable.

In Franceville, a brand-new gated hotel complex with an adjoining modern stadium, intended for the Mali national team and its entourage, had few guests, the team having relocated 30 miles outside of town when it learned that the stadium had artificial turf.

East of Franceville, in the dusty town of Leconi at the edge of the Bateke Plateau, where the forest abruptly gives way to canyon-riven savannah that stretches to the Kalahari basin, Mayor Pauline Nzede described her plans to establish Leconi as a jumping-off point for tourists visiting the plateau and its renowned national park, a World Heritage site.

The government approved her proposal and promised financial support, but nothing arrived in time for the competition. Just as well perhaps since there would have been few visitors.

The hosting of the tournament and the success of the Gabon team has stimulated national pride and provided the president with photo opportunities and the chance to associate with winning athletes. Ditto for Equatorial Guinea.

Not everyone was convinced though. Without prompting, Libreville residents confided their disaffection for the ruling elites, whom they accuse of exploiting Gabon’s wealth for their own benefit while leaving little for the people.

Yet as they gather in open-air restaurants to cheer and view the home matches on big screens, the warm and friendly Gabonese people express pride in their Panthers, triumphant in all their group stage matches and playing attractive, flowing football.

One only wishes there were more visitors to bear witness and more dividends to go around.

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Both host nations lost in the quarterfinals, Gabon to Mali on penalty kicks after a tightly contested 1-1 draw, Equatorial Guinea decisively to the Ivory Coast 3-0. The winners will meet on Wednesday. Zambia easily handled Sudan 3-0 while Ghana needed extra time and a blunder by the Tunisia goalkeeper to escape with a 2-1 win. The Black Stars will need to raise their game a notch for their Wednesday semifinal match-up against Zambia, who coach Herve Renard has playing in top form.

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Adam Burrows reported from Gabon and Equatorial Guinea during the group stage of the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations.

By Adam Burrows, Boston.com Correspondent

LIBREVILLE, Gabon -- After 12 days, AFCON 2012 is down to an elite, if unusual, eight, as the final round of the group stage offered up just one notable surprise.

Sudan won the seventh Africa Cup of Nations in 1970 as host, qualified in 1976, then suffered through a 32-year exile before its next trip, a disastrous affair in Ghana in which the Desert Hawks lost all three games and failed to register a goal.

Few were expecting anything different in Malabo, where Ivory Coast and Burkina Faso were favored in Group B, Angola the outside pick.

But after losing by the respectable margin of 1-0 to Ivory Coast, Sudan drew Angola 2-2 to pick up its first point in 35 years.

Heading into the third match, Sudan still trailed Angola by three points and by two goals on differential and total goals, the key tiebreakers.

But by the end of the night, Sudan had made up the deficit to advance to the quarterfinals, a remarkable achievement for an entirely local team and its Sudanese coach, Mohamed “Mazda” Abdallah.

While Angola lost 2-0 to the Elephants of Ivory Coast, who didn’t surrender a goal through the group stage, 23-year-old Sudan striker Mudather El Tahir pounced on a pair of Burkina Faso defensive errors and finished convincingly on each to produce a 2-1 win and put Sudan through.

Mudather plays for Omdurman-based Al-Hilal, the dominant power in the Sudanese domestic league and a team that routinely plays deep into the African Champions League. Al-Hilal and its derby-mate Al Merreikh supply the entire national starting eleven, most of whom are under age 25 and getting a first opportunity to showcase their skills. Despite deep pockets and multi-million dollar budgets, it may be difficult for the Big Two of Sudanese soccer to hold on the likes of Mudather and standout 24-year-old Al-Hilal midfielder Mohammed Ahmed “Bisha” Bashir.

Host Gabon continues to play some of the most attractive soccer in the tournament, getting past second place Tunisia 1-0 in Franceville to finish atop Group C with maximal points.

Once again, 34-year-old veteran Daniel Cousin and 22-year-old sensation Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang connected for the score, with Aubameyang scoring his third goal of the tournament off a lovely Cousin assist.

A win by Guinea over Ghana would have put Michel Dusseyer’s team through in Group D, but despite a spectacular goal by 21-year-old Sochaux forward Abdoul (Razzini) Camara, the Syli National could manage only a 1-1 draw against the tournament favorites.

In the other Group D match, an early second-half Botswana goal off a counter-attack finally awakened Mali, as moribund in the first half as it had been against Ghana in its previous game.

After Darra Dembele knocked home a rebound to bring Mali level, the tide turned and team captain Seydou Keita imposed his pedigree. The Barcelona midfielder, previously content to direct traffic and earn free kicks, initiated a clever give-and-go before finishing expertly to send the Eagles into the quarterfinals with a hard-earned 2-1 victory.

The results set up a compelling quarterfinal matchup between Gabon coach Gernot Rohr, who is now finally in the good graces of the host nation, and Alain Giresse, Rohr’s popular predecessor, who left in 2010 to take the Mali job.

Highly-touted Senegal and Morocco were eliminated after the second round, joining the so-called Group E, the group of death made up of those continental heavyweights - Egypt, Algeria, Nigeria, and Cameroon - that had met their demise during qualifying rounds.

At the end of round three, Senegal, Morocco, Burkina Faso, and Niger were joined at the departure gate by Libya, Angola, Guinea, and Botswana.

Libya, whose qualification in the midst of revolution and war was itself a signal achievement, left the tournament proudly, topping Senegal 2-1 and adding to the misery of the toothless Lions of Taranga, who exited in particularly ignominious fashion, failing to take a single point.

Co-host Equatorial Guinea may have peaked, falling 1-0 to Zambia in the battle to top Group A and avoid an early date with Ivory Coast, but the foreign-born Nzalang Nacional will still be able to count on the vocal support of local residents in Malabo.

And to the satisfaction of everyone, the group stage yielded not a single 0-0 draw.

Quarterfinal matchups:
Saturday: Zambia vs. Sudan (Bata), Ivory Coast vs. Equatorial Guinea (Malabo)
Sunday: Gabon vs. Mali (Libreville), Ghana vs. Tunisia (Franceville)

By Adam Burrows, Boston.com Correspondent

LIBREVILLE, Gabon -- Before Diphetogo “Dipsy” Selolwane (Se-lol-wa-ni) was able to build a successful career in the South African Premier Soccer League, he first had to go to America.

For the 34-year-old Botswana attacking midfielder, who will conclude his twelve-year international career on Wednesday when the Zebras play Mali in Libreville, the notion still rankles.

“The thing that bothered me is that I had to go halfway around the world to get some sort of recognition. A South African newspaper did an interview with me and the title of the article was ‘Made in America.’ I’m from Botswana.”

Selolwane’s road trip began in 2000 at Harris-Stowe State University, a tiny historically black college in midtown St. Louis that happened to have a big-time NAIA soccer program.

Harris-Stowe coach Dennis Currier, who has since moved on to Dayton, recruited Selolwane along with other promising players from around the globe.

“It was good. We had a lot of foreign players, African, Brazilian, all over. The only American was the goalkeeper, so I didn’t really feel too far from home. I had my African homeboys there.”

Selolwane’s anticipated scholarship fell through, so he had to cobble together support from family and work his way through college.

“Going there helped me become the man that I am. When you leave home you think you’re going to the land of milk and honey, but there we were, we had to work off-campus and on-campus. That kind of responsibility really opened our eyes.”

Selolwane credits Currier for pointing him the right direction.

“He was really good, a father figure, a friend to most of us. We were far from home, young ambitious guys, trying to make ends meet and trying to get a degree while we’re at it.”

Selolwane transferred to the big-time Division 1 program at Saint Louis University for his final year of eligibility, was named a first-team All-American forward, and was selected in the third round of the 2002 MLS SuperDraft by the Chicago Fire.

After a brief spell with Vejle, a bankrupt club in the Danish second division, Selolwane returned to Chicago and joined Bob Bradley’s Eastern Conference power, which would lose to San Jose in the finals of the 2003 MLS Cup.

“Bradley drafted me. A good guy, loved the sport. He was a player’s coach. It was a really good team. [Bulgarian International Hristo] Stoichov was there. DaMarcus Beasley. Zach Thornton. Carlos Bocanegra.”

Selolwane had trouble cracking the Chicago line-up, but he absorbed off-field lessons he hopes to apply in Africa one day.

“It was a good experience. Chicago really opened my eyes about the game, about the professionalism of it. MLS was still starting out. They were very ambitious, doing things a lot of us in Africa should try to do. Build a league. More than one brand or one club. From what I learned there, the marketing side of it, how Chicago used to do group ticketing, the organization, the games, it was just amazing.”

Selolwane was traded to expansion Salt Lake in 2005 but soon decided to accept an offer from Santos in South Africa. From there he moved on to Ajax Cape Town, where he excelled as a midfielder, and then to SuperSport United, his current club.

But it is the remarkable turnaround of the Botswana national team that has captured attention lately.

Long the whipping boy of African soccer, Botswana stunned the soccer world by qualifying for the Africa Cup of Nations for the first time.

The metamorphosis began in July 2010 as World Cup fever gripped the continent.

“First match. Tunisia away. It was same old feeling. Same preparation. Limited funds. I asked the guys when I met them at the airport, so how is the mood? Because you know everyone had the World Cup vibe. Are people excited about us going to play against Tunisia? No, we left in the middle of the night. Nobody knew. Nobody came to say goodbye. And I had that same feeling, like oh, here we go again.”

But the same old feeling had changed.

Tunisia had such little regard for Botswana that they moved the match to a sparsely attended minor stadium and rested some of their starters.

Botswana absorbed Tunisian pressure, scored on a counter-attack, and left typically impregnable Tunis with a 1-0 win. The qualifying streak continued against Chad, Malawi, and Togo, and soon apathy back home turned to passionate support.

Botswana’s tournament debut in Gabon has been less auspicious. The Zebras put up a valiant fight against tournament favorites Ghana, falling 1-0 on a set play breakdown, then suffered a 6-1 thrashing by Guinea, eliminating Botswana from the competition.

When the Zebras take the field against Mali, they will be playing for pride, their supporters, and confidence heading into AFCON 2013 qualifying

The sole Botswana score in Franceville came on a penalty kick that Selolwane stepped forward to take, recording the first African Cup of Nations goal in Botswana’s history.

“It would have been nice to score in open play but when the moment came it was a responsibility and an honor.”

Selolwane has learned enough to know that Botswana will need to invest significantly more resources if it wants to stay among the elite of African soccer. He hasn’t forgiven the Botswana FA for its dismissive response to the request by players for better bonus support.

But Selolwane made it clear that though his next game will be his last in light blue, he plans to keep applying what’s learned to the national cause.

By Adam Burrows, Boston.com Correspondent

FRANCEVILLE, Gabon -- AFCON 2012 host nations Gabon and Equatorial Guinea are through, each with two wins in two matches.

Both the Panthers of Gabon and the unheralded Nzalang Nacional (National Lightning) of Equatorial Guinea treated local supporters to dramatic, last-minute victories to advance to the quarterfinals.

Their victims were Morocco and Senegal, two continental powers tipped as dark horse favorites, both out of the tournament without claiming a point.

Also out is Burkina Faso, who impressed during qualifying but collapsed in Malabo, the victim of defensive miscues and breakdowns.

Ivory Coast and Ghana, consensus pre-tournament favorites, remain undefeated, each taking maximal points. The star-studded Elephants are through in Group B, while the Black Stars must still await the outcome of the final Group D matches.

Tunisia, also twice winners, is through as well. The Eagles of Carthage will play Gabon in Franceville on Tuesday for the top spot in Group C.

Zambia and Angola have played well and are likely quarterfinalists with four points apiece but need to take points in round three to confirm their spots.

The final knockout round berth is still up for grabs between Mali and Guinea, but Mali, facing winless Botswana on Wednesday, has the easier road. Mali will need to bring a more aggressive attitude than the timid approach adopted by coach Alain Giresse against Ghana.

In an odd confession after the match, the Frenchman defended his cautious tactics, “Ghana is a better team. We can’t play them even up.”

Goals have been plentiful, several of them spectacular, most notably David Alvarez’s long-range stoppage-time screamer for Equatorial Guinea to top Senegal and Bruno-Zita Mbanangoye’s curling free kick into the corner of the Morocco net that sent Gabon through.

Through two rounds, there've been only two draws, a 2-2 result between Libya and Zambia in a match played on a postdiluvian bog in Bata, and the same outcome between Angola and Sudan.

As with any international tournament, one of the pleasures is watching emerging young stars on the world stage.

Three have particularly impressed:

Andre “Dede” Ayew may have just turned 22 in December, but the attacking midfielder is already a bona fide star, earning 36 caps for Ghana, featuring in Ghana’s 2010 World Cup run, and being recognized by the BBC as its 2011 African Player of the Year. Like his father before him, the legendary Abedi “Pele” Ayew, Dede plays his club ball for Marseille, where his younger brother Jordan is also drawing praise.

Both Ayew brothers sparkled against Botswana, but it was Dede who was the decisive factor against Mali. After a cautious first hour, Ayew single-handedly opened up the match, driving forward repeatedly with Messi-like ball control. He earned the free kick that Asamoah Gyan converted for Ghana’s opening score, then, after taking a Gyan back heel, dazzled in tight traffic at the edge of the box before rolling a left-footer inside the post. Ayew is the real deal.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is far less well-known, but the 22-year-old Gabonese striker has become a national hero in less than a week. The French-born Aubameyang, who plays at St. Etienne in the French top flight, scored Gabon’s opening goal against Niger, tucking a long-range delivery just inside the post with a flick of his Neimar-like Mohawk as he was heading away from the goal.

Aubameyang also got the Panthers going against Morocco, smashing a volley off a cross from veteran Daniel Cousin, added as a strike partner after intermission in an adroit move by Gabon coach Gernot Rohr. In both matches, Aubemeyang impressed with his leggy pace, work rate, and skill on the ball.

Tunisia’s 21-year-old midfielder Youssef Msakni came on as second-half substitute against North African rival Morocco and notched one of the goals of the tournament to date, one that proved the ultimate margin of victory in Tunisia’s 2-1 win. In a solo effort, Msakni traveled left to right just outside the box, eluded three defenders, spinning one into the ground, then shot back across his body to beat the wrong-leaning Morocco goalkeeper.

Msakni, who plays domestically for champions Esperance, registered another unassisted gem in Tunisia’s second match, this time parting the Niger defense like a curtain to open the scoring.

By Adam Burrows, Boston.com Correspondent

BONGOVILLE, Gabon -- Botswana is a sparsely populated, land-locked country in southern Africa acclaimed for its natural beauty, fauna, and civic stability.

It has never been known for soccer.

Until now.

Defying all expectations, the Botswana national team, long the whipping boy of African international play, stormed through AFCON qualifying, topping group K with a remarkable 17 points (5-2-1) and becoming the first team to book a trip to Gabon and Equatorial Guinea.

It was the first time the Zebras had ever qualified for the AFCON finals.

The improbable run began in the usually impregnable fortress of Tunis on July 1, 2010 as the attention of the soccer world was directed to South Africa and the continent’s first World Cup.

Botswana triumphed 1-0 behind a Jerome Ramatlhakawne goal and a disciplined defense, a successful formula the team would repeat. The Zebras went on to defeat Chad at home, draw Malawi away, defeat Togo at home, and top Tunisia in Gaborone to seal the deal.

Goalkeeper coach Thabo Motang described the dawning awareness that something had changed.

“When we started, we just wanted to see how far we could go. We didn’t actually focus on coming here [to Gabon]. But then as time went on, we realized we could actually achieve what we wanted.

“After our first game, beating Tunisia, that game gave us motivation, but then the second game, we played Chad, we realized, no, no, no, we stand a chance here. Beating Togo at home, that’s when the Botswana people realized the team is going far here.”

Support for the national team has been so strong that the local company given the contract for replica jerseys has been unable to meet the demand.

The transformation from ridicule to respect is the story of a homegrown coach and a veteran team.

Stanley Tshosane was an assistant coach with the national team, left to coach the Army team in the domestic league, where he had played, then returned to take the reins when Englishman Colwyn Rowe was sacked in 2008.

The Botswana FA granted the new coach full control and Tshosane imprinted a defensive mindset on the team, selecting players who could mark well and usually deploying four defensive-minded midfielders.

The team has also benefited from being together throughout Tshosane’s tenure and is as locally bred as the coach. Although six of Botswana’s players earn a living in neighboring South Africa, most play semi-pro ball at home, and no one plays off the continent. AFCON 2012 may be the last showcase for many of the team's starters, whose average is 29.

The team’s moment in the limelight has not been without controversy. Before leaving for Gabon, the players complained publicly about inadequate bonuses, and the Botswana FA has inexplicably failed to offer the 55-year-old Tshosane a contract extension.

Botswana also had the misfortune of drawing into Group D, the toughest group at AFCON 2012, joining Ghana, Mali, and Guinea.

Captain and central defender Mombati Thuma reflected on the difference between qualifying and now.

“We expected a different mood from our qualifying games. These games are very, very, very tough. There is no weak team in this group.”

The Zebras opened against Ghana, the favorite of many to take the cup, falling 1-0 to a John Mensah goal off a corner kick, the team’s only defensive lapse of the night.

The road to the quarterfinals won’t get any easier. The Zebras faced an athletic Guinea side in Franceville Saturday then finish group play in Libreville against well-balanced Mali.

The Zebras will welcome back Diphetogo “Dipsy” Selowane, their team leader and most creative player, who missed the Ghana match because of accumulated yellow cards during qualification.

Selowane broke down the challenge for Botswana going into the Guinea match.

“Our guys have a lot of fight, a lot of character, so it is important to bring a whole lot more of that. The Guinea guys are very physical, very fast, so we have to match them with that, but try to use our skill at the same time.”

As the team trained at the modern stadium in Bongoville, a tranquil hamlet 40 minutes outside Franceville near the birthplace of the late Omar Bongo, Gabon’s long-tenured president, the mood was one of quiet determination.

The Zebras have two games to prove that their arrival on the big stage was more than a whisper.

By Adam Burrows, Boston.com Correspondent

BATA, Equatorial Guinea -- You can't blame President Teodoro Obiang Nguma Mbasongo for being a little suspicious.

A few years back, a band of South African mercenaries, bankrolled by London financiers and backed by Margaret Thatcher's son, were arrested in Zimbabwe as they prepared to launch a coup and install a government in Equatorial Guinea more sympathetic to their business interests.

Perhaps that explains the response to visitors as the only Spanish-speaking nation on the continent hosts AFCON 2012.

Equatorial Guinea refused to grant visas in advance of the games, insisting travelers first pass through co-host Gabon.

The Zambian team was forced to relocate from its hotel for lack of water.

On the day of the opening match, gun-toting police guarded the well-paved four-lane roadway to the Bata stadium, stopping taxis two miles away and forcing passengers out on foot.

Then, as the opening ceremonies started, armor-clad riot police fired tear gas into restless local ticket-holders lined up single-file beyond an outer gate before Israeli security advisors ordered the gate opened.

None of this came as a surprise.

In 1996, prospectors discovered vast oil reserves in Equatorial Guinea, a sliver of land and mini-archipelago flanking the equator in central Africa.

Imagine an impoverished banana republic suddenly drenched in petrodollars.

The discovery catapulted the tiny nation to the highest per capita income on the continent, though much of it is thought to have ended up in the pockets of the president, named by Human Rights Watch as one of world's worst dictators.

On the other hand, the President has a generous side.

The headlines in El Lector, the official mouthpiece of the regime, proclaimed the promise of $1 million to the national team if they defeated Libya in the opening match.

The players, most of them controversially naturalized ringers of questionable Equatoguinean ancestry recruited from Iberia and Africa, did not disappoint.

In the final minutes, Portugal-based captain Juvenal sprung Spain-based Javier-Angel Balboa behind the Libyan back line. Balboa finished cleanly into the right corner and dismissed suggestions that the bonus offer was a motivating factor: "This is football. When the match starts, the players don't think about money. Many players play in Europe. We get money from our clubs. To us, the money is not very important."

President Obiang also treated the audience to an over-the-top opening ceremony, featuring drummers, dancers, and images of African culture projected on a 60-foot high hexagonal monolith at the center circle, concluding with a delirious fireworks display that ringed the crest of the stadium.

Few in the capacity crowd of 37,500 stuck around to watch Zambia stun favored Senegal 2-1 in the nightcap. The speedier and more creative Chipolopolo (Copper Bullets) started brightly and beat former Colorado Rapids and New York Red Bull goalkeeper Bouna Coundoul twice in the opening twenty minutes.

Four days later, the stadium was again nearly empty as a deluge delayed the start of the Libya-Zambia match for over an hour and reduced the pitch to a waterlogged marsh.

The conditions slowed down the Chipolopolo, who had to battle back twice to earn a 2-2 draw, as Libya's 32-year-old Osman, seeming to glide on water while Zambian defenders slipped in his wake, notched an impressive brace.

The red-clad local fans were back in force for the second game, while Senegal, heavy pre-tournament favorites to take the group, looked to get on track.

It was not to be.

Following a scoreless first half, Equatorial Guinea took the lead on a Iban Iyanga header off a David Alvarez cross, then, after Niang Sow equalized, scored the upset of the tournament on a long-range Alvarez screamer as injury time expired.

The unheralded Nzalang Nacional become the first team to advance to the knockout stage, while the mighty Lions of Teranga, eliminated without a point in two games, are left to lick their wounds. Zambia, with four points, can advance with a draw against Equatorial Guinea on Sunday.

By Adam Burrows, Boston.com Correspondent

FRANCEVILLE, Gabon -- With the first round of the group stage at AFCON 2012 completed, here are initial impressions, starting with Group D, the most intriguing quartet of the competition.

Ghana, 1-0 winners over debutantes Botswana, has brought a talented and balanced team that combines tested veterans and some of the most exciting stars arriving on the stage of club and international play.

Captain John Mensah, back at Lyon after a loan spell at Sunderland, is still a rock in central defense for the Black Stars, who narrowly missed advancing to the World Cup semifinals in South Africa.

Mensah scored off a corner kick, the only breakdown of the night for the stalwart Zebra defense, saved one sure goal off the line in spectacular fashion, then rescued Ghana from an errant header, charging back to take down Botswana striker Jerome just outside the box. Mensah was sent off for foiling the breakaway and will miss the next game but averted a potential equalizer.

Ghana, led by Serbian coach Goran Stevanovic, sports a fluid, four-headed attack, spearheaded by Sulley Muntari of Inter Milan, Asamoah Gyan, currently at Al-Ain in Abu Dhabi, and the wide-ranging Ayew brothers, 22-year-old Andrew ?Dede? Ayew and 20-year-old Jordan, sons of the legendary Abedi ?Pele? Ayew and emerging stars at Marseilles.

From first appearances, the Ayew youngsters are the real deal, and the Black Stars remain the team to beat.

Mali, directed by former Gabon coach Alain Giresse and 1-0 winners over neighboring Guinea, also features an attractive blend of experience and youth.

Barcelona?s Seydou Keita is a steadying influence in the Mali midfield while Cedric Kante anchors the back line, but apart from the two 32 year-old veterans, the average outfield age is 24 and the fast-paced, athletic attack is pure youth movement.

In a game played at breakneck pace, Guinea matched Mali step for step and leap for leap, falling only to a deflected shot, but the Elephants may lack the finishing quality to escape the tough group.

The opening results set up a tantalizing Ghana-Mali matchup on Saturday.

Turning to Group C, co-host Gabon started brightly, played clean, open soccer, and were 2-0 winners over outmatched Niger, also making their first AFCON final appearance.

22-year-old striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who plays for St. Etienne in the French top-flight, tucked a nifty header inside the post off a long-range cross while approaching the end line, and sparkled throughout for Gerhod Rohr?s Panthers.

In one of three minor upsets of the opening days, Tunisia surprised dark horse pick Morocco 2-1 in a closely contested battle between bitter North African rivals.

Tunisian goalkeeper Aymen Mathlouthi, who plays domestically at top side Etoile du Sahel, was the difference, frustrating Arsenal?s Marouane Chamakh and the well-organized Atlas Lions attack, while 21-year-old Youseff Msakni notched the goal of the tournament thus far, spinning three Morocco defenders into the turf as he danced across the box before finishing cleanly.

Gabon will play Morocco in a pivotal match on Friday.

In Group B, Ivory Coast dispatched Sudan as expected 1-0, but Burkina Faso, impressive during qualifying, fell to a strong Angola side 2-1, exposing weaknesses in the Burkina Faso back line that may doom its chances.

Zambia opened the eyes of many observers as the fast and skilled Chilopolopolo stunned favored Senegal 2-1 in Group A. The taller Senegalese were slow to respond to a dazzling Zambia attack that came racing out of the gate and then persisted in a direct and narrow game plan as Zambia pulled back in a nearly disastrous second half defensive retreat.

Senegal will have to play better against the hastily naturalized ringers of Equatorial Guinea, 1-0 winners over an earnest but plodding Libya side.

By Adam Burrows, Boston.com Correspondent

Gernot Rohr enjoyed a long playing career at Bordeaux and has held some plum postings as a coach, but that won?t be enough to win over skeptics in the central African nation of Gabon, where Rohr took over the helm of the national team in early 2010.

Rohr replaced the popular Alain Giresse, who left for Mali, and Gabon supporters have been slow to embrace the 58 year-old native German, notwithstanding his French fluency and affection for the natural wonders of the country.

Appearing relaxed as he reclined and sipped espresso in the lobby of the team hotel, comfortably clad in a blue Gabon training outfit and flip-flops, the spry and sandy-haired Rohr acknowledged that the expectations of the country, co-hosts for the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations, may be unrealistically high.

The Panthers have never advanced past the quarterfinals of the tournament and were drawn into a tough group that includes North African powers Morocco and Tunisia.

Gabon?s easiest contest may be the group?s opening match on Monday against the Menas of Niger, who are making their first AFCON appearance but stunned three-peat cup-holders Egypt in the qualifying rounds.

?The first game is already a final,? said Rohr.

?We played against them in September in a friendly. They?re a very aggressive team, for me one of the most physical teams. They won against South Africa and they eliminated Egypt. When you have these results you really must say they have a strong team.?

Rohr admitted Gabon can?t afford anything less than three points against Niger.

?Yes, yes, we must win the first game. It would be very, very difficult to play Morocco and Tunisia when you don?t win the first game. Everyone says the most difficult game is Morocco but for me it?s Niger. They have all local players except one, Maazou (striker Moussa Mazzou, currently with Zulte Waregem in Belgium). They?re really one group and have worked together in camp since the beginning of December.?

Forward Daniel Cousin, Gabon?s most celebrated and experienced player, may not be available at the start of the tournament.

?Daniel Cousin didn?t play for five months. He was injured. Now he?s coming back. The first time he started was last Monday (in a tune-up against Sudan). Perhaps he?s missing a little physical condition to start the competition.?

But Rohr touted a couple of his younger players who feature in Gabon?s Olympic team, unexpected winners in the recent Africa U23 championship in Morocco.

?We have some young players who can play a big tournament. Our number 14 Levy Matinda is only nineteen. He?s an attacking midfielder and playmaker. We have our number 15 Biyogo Poko. I brought him to Bordeaux two or three months ago. He?s a defensive midfielder with a big impact on the game.?

Rohr remains sober about the team?s prospects, admitting he?d be pleased to advance to the second round but that keeping his job will depend on more.

?Because we are at home, everyone would dismiss it if we reach the quarterfinals, but it would be a surprise.?

As AFCON fever builds to fever pitch in Libreville, Rohr will be challenged to maintain his equanimity.

By Adam Burrows, Boston.com Correspondent

LIBREVILLE, Gabon -- Eighteen months ago, the eyes of the soccer world were glued to South Africa, where, for the first time, the FIFA World Cup arrived in the second-most populous continent, home to passionate fans and skilled players, the best of whom increasingly migrate to Europe for work.

Now attention turns to the central African nations of Gabon and Equatorial Guinea, hosts of the 2012 African Cup of Nations.

Every two years, in their continental equivalent of the World Cup, the survivors of a grueling year of qualifying matches gather to compete for the right to be called African champions.

This edition of AFCON, known to the Francophone world as CAN 2012, kicks off this week, with the sixteen teams organized into four groups.

Group A: Equatorial Guinea, Libya, Senegal, Zambia
Group B: Ivory Coast, Sudan, Burkina Faso, Angola
Group C: Gabon, Niger, Morocco, Tunisia
Group D: Ghana, Botswana, Mali, Guinea

Ghana and Ivory Coast, traditional heavyweights, arrive as the consensus tournament favorites, with Senegal, Morocco, Mali, and Burkina Faso the dark horse picks.

The Black Stars of Ghana narrowly missed advancing to the semifinals of the 2010 World Cup under controversial circumstances, when Uruguay’s Luis Suarez deliberately handled a ball on the goal line in the 121st minute, near the close of extra time.

Asamoah Gyan, who would go on to be honored as African footballer of the year, missed the resulting penalty, and the South Americans ultimately triumphed on penalty kicks and earned the right to face the Dutch.

Ivory Coast flamed out in South Africa, never making it out of a group of death that included Brazil and Portugal, but the national team is studded with stars of European club soccer.

The roster of the embattled West African nation includes Chelsea’s Didier Drogba, Arsenal’s Gervinho, and Manchester City’s Yaya Toure, recently named 2011 African Player of the Year.

Their English Premier League sides will have to account for their extended absences if the Elephants make it to the Feb. 12th final in Libreville as expected.

Both Ghana and Ivory Coast are hungry for glory and hardware. Ghana, four-time cup winners, last hoisted the trophy in 1982, while Ivory Coast’s sole championship came 20 years ago.

But AFCON 2012 may be more about the minnows than the mighty. Continental giants Nigeria, Cameroon, South Africa, Algeria, and Egypt, winner of the past three AFCON cups, all failed to qualify and are back home facing wrathful supporters.

Meanwhile, unheralded upstarts like Sudan, Niger, and Botswana are looking to make their mark on the world soccer scene.

Botswana, a nation of less than two million, qualified for the first time and earned the double distinction of being the first team to book a trip. The Zebras will face a stiff test against Ghana in the opening match of Group D in Franceville.

One of the best stories to emerge from AFCON qualifying was Libya, whose team persevered through a brutal civil war and the overthrow of the Qaddafi regime, changing their flag and national anthem in the process and providing a unifying symbol for New Libya.

Libya will face off against Equatorial Guinea in the tournament’s opening match in Bata tomorrow.

Correspondent Adam Burrows will be reporting from Gabon and Equatorial Guinea through the group stage of AFCON 2012.

Former Revolution goalkeeper Jeff Causey has been named color analyst for the team's television broadcasts next season, replacing Jay Heaps, now the Revolution head coach.

Brad Feldman returns for his 12th season with the team as play-by-play announcer and Damon Amendolara will be sideline reporter.

Organizers are planning a Liverpool FC-AS Roma exhibition soccer game at Fenway Park this summer, according to multiple sources involved with the negotiations.

The match would be part of US tours for both teams, the first since controlling interest in the clubs was purchased by Boston-based investors. Liverpool, founded in 1891, was purchased in 2010 by Fenway Sports Group, headed by Red Sox owner John Henry (NBA star LeBron James is also an investor). AS Roma, founded in 1927, was taken over last year by a group which includes Red Sox minority owner Thomas DiBenedetto and Celtics owner James Pallotta.

The game would be part of a tournament involving Chelsea FC and, possibly, Celtic FC. Matches will also be held in Chicago (Comiskey Park or Wrigley Field) and New York (Yankee Stadium.

Dates have not been set. Liverpool has tentatively made reservations to be in the Boston area from June 20 through July 4.

The New England Revolution drafted UCLA midfielder Kelyn Rowe with the third pick in today's Major League Soccer SuperDraft.

Rowe, the Pac-12 player of the year, scored six goals and had 10 assists in his sophomore season at UCLA. He is also a member of the US under-23 national team.

The 20-year-old midfielder becomes the next in a long line of former Bruins to join an MLS club, including teammate Benny Feilhaber, who came to New England last season after playing in Europe for the first six years of his career.

"Coming from UCLA, a place where that happens, we get stars in and out of the school ... you have players like that who are big names and it's just an honor to be a part of that group," Rowe said via conference call.

Rowe hopes to add his offensive touch to a Revolution club that finished the 2011 season with 38 goals, the third-lowest total in the league, ahead of only Toronto (36) and Vancouver (35).

"I love to go forward, I love the ball on my feet," Rowe said. "And I want to bring that to New England, bring that attacking force and that goal-scoring force to New England."

To get that chance he will have to compete for minutes with Feilhaber and veteran midfielder Shalrie Joseph among others.

"It's not going to be given to me," Rowe said of his opportunity to make an immediate impact. "I'm going to have to work hard for it; it's not going to come right away."

The Revolution chose defender Tyler Polak of Creighton in the second round.

“We’re happy with our selections today,” Revolution General Manager Michael Burns said. “To have two picks in the top 22, and to be able to sign two Generation adidas players that can join our roster immediately – we feel that it will be beneficial to both us and the players.”

The Montreal Impact chose Duke's Andrew Wenger with the top pick in the draft and Darren Mattocks went No. .2 to the Vancouver Whitecaps.

Celtics' owner Jim Pallotta is going head-first into his investment in AS Roma. Pallotta attended Roma's 2-0 win over Chievo Sunday, also working on contract negotiations with midfielder Daniele De Rossi, then meeting with the team Monday.

After dining with the coaches and players at the team's training facility at Trigoria, Pallotta went to the pool, raised a prosecco toast and said: "I am one with you. We are Roma and we are afraid of nothing," according to a report in La Repubblica. Pallotta then jumped fully-clothed into the pool.

"Instinctive, determined, crazy, sure of himself. Roma has the president it wanted," La Repubblica wrote.

By Frank Dell'Apa, Globe Staff

Celtics star Kevin Garnett will be announced as an investor in AS Roma, the Italian Serie A soccer club recently purchased by a US group that includes owners Thomas DiBenedetto (Red Sox) and James Pallotta (Celtics).

Garnett will hold a minor stake in Roma SPA, which is quoted on the Milan Borsa, pending approval by the NBA. Garnett’s investment will be similar to the one made by Miami’s LeBron James with Liverpool FC, according to a club source.

The Boston-based ownership group – NEEP Holding (which stands for their North End, Everett, and Peabody bases) is hoping to elevate Roma, which last won the Serie A scudetto in 2001, by increasing its global popularity and seeking to move the team out of the Stadio Olimpico to a new stadium.

Garnett is a knowledgeable soccer fan, close with prominent international players such as Didier Drogba of Chelsea, and plays the game as part of his off-season conditioning program.

Former Revolution midfielder Catę died following an auto accident in Rio Grande do Sul state in Brazil Tuesday morning, according to the Placar magazine website.

Marcos Antonio Lemos Tozzi, nicknamed Catę (short for Categoria) because of his prowess as a youngster, scored 10 goals for the Revolution, including two on the way to the US Open Cup final, in the 2001 season.

Catę, 38, played for Sao Paulo FC when it won two Copa Libertadores titles, plus the World Club Cup (against Barcelona) in Tokyo in 1992. He also competed for Cruzeiro and Flamengo in Brazil, plus Universidad Catolica in Chile and Sampdoria in Italy.

By Zuri Berry, Globe Staff

The New England Revolution announced that the club has re-signed midfielder Shalrie Joseph.

Joseph, the team's captain, will return for his 10th season with the Revolution. The seven-time MLS all-star will take up one of the team's designated player roster spots.

"Shalrie has spent his entire MLS career here in New England and we are thrilled he’s agreed to return as a Designated Player for us," General Manager Michael Burns said in a press release. "Getting him re-signed was a top priority for us this offseason. We expect that Shalrie will continue to lead this team on the field, but also off the field and in the community, as well, as we move ahead into 2012."

Shalrie finished the past season with a team-leading eight goals, 52 shots and 23 shots on goal.

"I'm very excited to stay in New England,” Joseph said in a press release. "I've made this my home and I can't imagine playing for another team besides the Revolution. I'm looking forward to getting back out on the field next year and going after an MLS Cup championship for our fans and for this city."

Last week, the Revolution re-signed keeper Matt Reis who is a four-time MLS all-star.

Duke men's basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski talked about former Blue Devil Jay Heaps being named head coach of the New England Revolution. He had nothing but nice things to say, of course.

Jay Heaps was introduced today as the new coach of the New England Revolution.

Here's the Q&A from his press conference, provided by the Revolution.

Opening comments:

I am so excited for this opportunity and I want to start – I want to thank Mr. Kraft, Jon Kraft and the entire Kraft family for believing in me. Mike, and to Brian, for also believing that I’ll be the right leader for this position, to deliver a new culture but also implement a new vision and an exciting vision.

Now, if I sat here and said that I was honored to take this job, that would be a complete understatement. I think it’s pretty clear that I grew up in this area, I was born and raised in this area, so I think my heart has always been with this organization. There hasn’t been a time on the field as a player for nine years here where I didn’t want to win for this family or win for this organization. To me – that meant everything to me.

But over the last two years, as a professional analyst for this team, you start thinking a little differently. I think you start thinking about how to make this team win. I think as a player, I had a role – it was to be a passionate, fiery leader. But when you take a step away from that and you’re in an analyst role and you’re looking at it a little differently, you start seeing where those holes are. But there hasn’t been a moment that hasn’t gone by where I believed that I have the right strengths and the right qualities to lead this team.

I think that it’s quite obvious when I walked in to talk to Mike (Burns, the team's general manager) and when I walked in to talk to Brian (Biello, the team's president), I don’t have head coaching MLS experience. It’s quite simple. And I’m not going to shy away from that. But what I do bring to the table and what I know I have are the intangibles, those thing that make a head coach great.

First, when I think about that, I think of three things about what a coach needs to be at this level. And one of them is a great leader. A leader that has been tested. A leader that, in a time of water coming over the bow, guys look to him and wanted to be led by that person. That is something that you can’t fake. It’s something that comes from within. And you can’t turn it on.

Number two is unwavering integrity. I think that’s how you really see someone. If they say what they mean and mean what they say. And that’s been something as a player and as a person – the way I live my life. I think that’s another thing you can’t turn on.

Lastly, I think it’s about communication. … I think everyone can tell you that they know me, they know I’m passionate and I’m determined. I’m willing to work hard. Those are just part of who I am. That’s not something that I think I’ll turn off, or bring or not bring – that’s guaranteed. That’s all good and fine, but if you can’t take that and communicate to the team – if you can’t communicate your vision or where you see this team going, well then that’s where you lose out.

And I’m not going to sit here and say that I don’t think experience isn’t vital as well. I think good leaders can look in the mirror and say, ‘Here’s my strengths, here’s my weaknesses.’ Great leaders step in and say, ‘This is my strength, this is my weakness, now I’ll surround myself with great people to now compliment those weaknesses or strengthen my strengths. That’s what I’m going to do here. I don’t want to hide behind saying experience isn’t valuable. It is.

I think now were’ going to, quite frankly, open it up because I think I want to hear where you guys are coming from. But I’m super excited for this opportunity and again, thank you guys for that opportunity.

FULL ENTRY

Former Revolution defender John “Jay” Heaps has been named the sixth head coach in the team’s history, according to multiple sources. Heaps, 35, replaces Steve Nicol, whose contract was not renewed after the Revolution finished tied for last place in the MLS overall standings with a 5-16-13 record.

The Revolution are expected to make an announcement Tuesday and have scheduled a press conference for Wednesday.

Heaps retired in 2009, following a 10-year MLS career in which he set a Revolution record for games played in all competitions (294) and has been working as a color commentator on the team's television broadcasts.

Bilello Burns

By Matt Pepin, Globe Staff

Brian Bilello has been promoted to president of the New England Revolution soccer team and Michael Burns is the new general manager, the team announced today.

Bilello was the team's chief operating officer, but will now "oversee all aspects of the Revolution organization," according to a team press release.

Burns was vice president of player personnel the last four seasons, but will now "lead all aspects of the club's soccer operations, which now includes the coaching staff and player acquisitions."

“Major League Soccer has evolved significantly in the last few years and while we felt we had a structure in place that had worked well earlier and led us to success, the last two years did not live up to our expectations,” team owner Robert Kraft said in a press release. “With this new executive structure, we will be better positioned to compete for championships on the field while we continue to focus on growing our business and building a soccer-specific venue in the Commonwealth.”