Top teams are usually too good these days to let this happen, the growing professionalism ensuring a high level of predictability and tedium. Such is the structure on the field that games rarely explode into the sensational nor lose their shape and form as to ensure a thrilling experience for spectators.

There are occasional exceptions, however. Last season’s 4-4 draw between Ajax Cape Town and Mamelodi Sundowns was a case in point. A match made into a gem ironically by all the mistakes and by how Sundowns worked their way back from a losing position to score three quick goals and save a point. They should have won it 7-4 in the end. The entertainment value there was built on the errors committed and the way they were successfully exploited by the opponent.

At the African Nations Cup in Bata on Wednesday, we saw a classic game of the under strength, inexperienced and patently inferior team claw, jostle, tackle and will their way to victory over far superior opposition.

Equatorial Guinea’s 2-1 win over Senegal also came with the backdrop of a sensational crowd, deliriously screaming and cajoling their players on, cheering every kick with a level of noise that at times made it hard to think.

It was not always a pretty game, the rain-sodden surface made it almost unplayable in patches. But it delivered all of the drama for which the game of football holds so much appeal. This was a game that flowed from end to end, players casting aside shape, position and inhibitions in the search for victory. And then came the most sensational of winning goals, deep in stoppage time from a player I bet would not hit the target again from that range if you gave him 20 chances.

It is unfortunate that to see another game of a similar drama one would have to sit through hundreds of hours of predictable play but such the compelling nature of that dream game that we keep coming back in the hope it happens again.

The Nations Cup has certainly turned upside down the form book in its first week of competition. None of the favourites have proven convincing and the potential for more shock results seems very real. This is a tournament that has suffered from a lack of excitement and genuine effort and ability in recent editions. But in the muggy humidity and amid the torrential downpours of central Africa, the entertainment has returned.

*Weekend betting in the Phumelela pools centres around the fourth round ties in the FA Cup where Liverpool and Manchester United meet in the main attraction. Liverpool have already had a tough week, shrugging off Man City for a place in the League Cup final and might be a little worse for wear come Sunday.