2013 Africa Cup of Nations: Togo Win Shows They're a Contender

A win by Togo over Algeria in the Africa Cup of Nations 2013 proves to the world that they're a real contender.

Togo beat Algeria by a score of 2-0, on the strength of a goal by star forward Emmanuel Adebayor. 

What's impressive is that they beat a good Algeria team, who excels on defense. As coach Didier Six said: "We were up against a very good Algeria team, but the win was deserved."

They did it off the play of Adebayor and goalie Kossi Agassa.

While many did not think Togo had any chance of going far in the Africa Cup of Nations, they stand one win away from the knockout stage.

And if they get there, they've shown they have the talent to be a contender.

Adebayor is truly incredible, and the Sparrow Hawks run the team through him. The extent of their offense is to try to get the ball to Adebayor and let him do the work.

While that sounds like a bad idea on paper, it's been working, and worked today against Algeria.

They have another star in Floyd Ayite. The 23-year-old midfielder is a deft passer and is able to get the ball to Adebayor in open space.

This is the type of team that can ride Adebayor to the top. Although he does not always play to his immense talent, he has been playing at a very high level in this tournament.

If he continues this kind of play, Togo will be hard to stop. They have a capable goalkeeper in Agassa, and have already shown they can beat teams better than them. 

Togo takes on Tunisia on Wednesday, Jan. 30 to determine second place in Group D. And they'll show, once again, that they're fit to contend.