Firstly starting with Lomana Lua Lua and his DR Congo team. The Congo held on for a 0-0 draw in a very entertaining game that saw Congo reduced to 10 men early on after Mabi Mbutu decided he didn't like one of the Angolan defenders and kicked him square in the nuts from behind. Ouch! Lua Lua played like he usually does for the most part of the game. Early on he took the ball round the defender and could have passed to two players in the box who would have had a decent shot on goal. What does Lua Lua do? You guessed it.. shoot himself and miss from almost an impossible angle. He also had another chance later in the game after taking the ball around the Angolan defence to get a free shot on goal.. and he blazed it 50 yards over. Credit to him though, to the shock of Pompey fans he actually got back and defended late on when the Angolans piled on the pressure after squandering countless chances.
That result with Angola coupled by Togo's 2-0 loss to Cameroon means that DR Congo will only have to get a draw against Cameroon to qualify and even if they lose they'll still go through if Angola fail to beat Togo. Whether that is good or bad news for Pompey is down to opinion.
Collins Mbesuma failed to get on the scoresheet for Zambia and even worse for him his team did what Pompey have been doing so regularly this season and letting a 1 goal lead turn into a 2-1 defeat.
In some other news the ambitious targets of Benni McCarthy and Jacek Kyrnowek and also not-so-ambitious target of John Hartson have all said "No" to Pompey and so won't be playing at Fratton Park this season having opted to stay at their own clubs. So who's next?