Pop World Cup 2010: Third Quarter Final – Nigeria 2 Ghana 0

Three quarters of the way through our four Quarters. The tunes, like our managers’ heartbeats, have been largely uptempo, and no-one wants to go home at this stage, not with glory so close. This match sees two of the juggernauts of the early rounds, MattDC’s Nigeria and Ben’s Ghana, meeting head-on along the Trans-West African Coastal Highway. Could be explosive.

This match closes at midnight on Wednesday 26th May.

NIGERIA: Dr Sid – “Something About You (Silva Stone Mix)” The Manager Says: “Nigeria are in uncharted territory now, never before has there been an Africa v Africa tie at this level of world pop football. We don’t know what to expect from a very strong Ghana side, so I’ve instructed the lads to keep it high-tempo, give them as little space as possible, and use a big hefty bassline as the foundation for all-out attack. It is with this in mind that we give you Nigeria’s first, and possibly so far only, funky house smash. It comes courtesy of the brilliantly named, probably-not-a-real-doctor, Dr Sid. In Nigeria, we don’t wear Rolexes, but we still like to skank. Oyoyo!”

GHANA: Castro the Destroyer ft Batman Samini – “Envy” The Manager Says: “My Ghanaian side have eased through to the Quarter Finals, but the draw has been unkind to us here. Nigeria pose a very different kind of threat to our campaign, that of familiarity. It’s been a nightmare trying to work out how I should play against our West African neighbours, so rather than over-thinking things, I’ve tried to stick with what I consider has been our consistent tactic through this whole tournament – play your best players, prepare them well, and hope that they can get the business done on the pitch.

With that in mind, I’d like to introduce Castro The Destroyer, who hails from the south-western port city of Takoradi. The son of an accountant, who professes to loving fufu with palm nut soup, he’s been performing since the age of 10. His debut album was released in 2003, although this track, ‘Envy’ comes from his most recent album, 2009’s ‘Fakye’. Guest starring another of Ghana’s biggest stars, Batman Samini, it’s a more laid back approach, but I’m confident that if we defend well, and take our chances, we can continue to justify the optimism of the fans back home in Ghana.”

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Commentary Box Analysis One of the remarkable things about this tournament has been the success of teams from that one stretch of West Africa: the whisker which came between Cote D’Ivoire and a QF spot also prevented half of the Quarter Final stage being occupied by CIV – Ghana – Nigeria – Cameroon, all direct neighbours (give or take a Togo and a Benin). What’s going on? Maybe these teams have a beguiling way of combining a local feel with pops from around the world? This game suggests so: Nigeria are rocking a pretty glorious piece of housified business, a flexible team, from which the main striker pops up from time to time to threaten the goal. Ghana, on the other hand, have adopted a more Jamaican-influenced formation, who alternate easily between a pressing game and a more free-flowing style when they have the ball. We don’t know how this will go, but we know we like it.

Coming up The final Quarter Final sees Alberto’s Spain side, never predictable, come up against the thoughtful approach of Weston Debevec’s Cameroon team. Anything could happen and the search for the semis.