Fred de Jong: African Cup win is a long way off

After 18 days of almost continuous soccer, the world has had a chance to catch its breath and take stock. Two rest days allow not only the players and coaches but also the fans and media to recuperate after a marathon of first and second round matches.

Counting this morning's two quarter-finals, just eight teams remain. Notable by their absence are the African and Asian nations as only Europe, with six teams, and South America, two, are represented in the quarters.

The great Pele once said that by 2000 an African nation would win the World Cup. In 2006 that prediction has been proven to be wishful thinking.

African football burst on to the world scene spectacularly in 1990 when Cameroon defeated Argentina in the opening World Cup match. African players' athleticism has never been in question, it has been their technical ability and tactical understanding that have been their Achilles heel.

Having watched the match between Brazil and Ghana a few days ago, I was struck by the naivety of the Ghanaian players. Make no mistake, this was not as easy a victory for Brazil as the 3-0 score suggests.

Ghana had much of the possession and pressed Brazil into playing a counter-attacking style not really befitting their rank as world champions. However the Ghanaians showed they lack two things to be successful at this level.

They are composure and the killer instinct to make the opposition pay. Too often Ghana would push forward in numbers looking for an equaliser to cancel out Ronaldo's sublime fifth-minute samba past the Ghanaian keeper. And too often they would get caught out at the back as Brazil broke forward to counter.

Ghana certainly missed Michael Essien's calming influence in midfield to control the tempo and keep reckless heads in order.

They also missed a clinical striker to put away the numerous chances they created - the best of which saw John Mensah head to Brazilian keeper Dida when scoring looked to be easier.

With the World Cup in South Africa in 2010, all eyes will be on the African nations to excel on their home continent. I believe they will perform better than ever.

However I am sceptical that an African nation can so quickly bridge the chasm that still exists between their football and that of the world's elite and lift the trophy. Pele will have to wait a good deal longer for his prediction to come true.

Looking at the quarter-finals, it really is time for the stars to come out and earn their keep. The further teams go in the competition the more they are looking to their big name players to make the difference between progressing and heading home.

One of the best examples of this has been the clash between Australia and Italy. Australia were without their best player Harry Kewell who was sidelined with injury and how it showed. They lacked any real punch up front to consistently trouble the Italian defence even when they had the numerical advantage.

Italy were also without their best player as Francesco Totti had been relegated to the bench. Still struggling for fitness after a long injury lay-off, it was his introduction with 15 minutes remaining that swung the match.

Suddenly Italy had someone who could produce the unexpected. A player to turn to and make things happen. It was Totti's 30m pass that led to the penalty. It was fitting that it was Totti that blasted the penalty home to take Italy to the next round.

We must now look to the likes of Ronaldinho, Ballack, Riquelme and possibly Beckham to do the same.