Seven Barclays Premier League players will return to their clubs today after Nigeria were knocked out of the African Cup of Nations by Ghana yesterday.

Berti Vogts, the Nigeria manager, is expected to lose his job this week after the 2-1 defeat, but his team’s elimination at the quarter-final stage is good news for clubs such as Portsmouth, who will welcome the return of Kanu and John Utaka, and Chelsea, who will have John Obi Mikel back in their squad when they face Liverpool this weekend.

Yakubu Ayegbeni, the Everton forward, gave Nigeria the lead from the penalty spot in the 34th minute in Accra, but Michael Essien, the Chelsea midfield player, equalised for Ghana on the stroke of half-time and Junior Agogo, the Nottingham Forest forward, scored from close range to make it 2-1 and keep alive the hosts’ dream of winning the tournament for the fifth time.

The prospects of Vogts, the former Germany and Scotland manager, holding on to his job will not be helped by the fact that Ghana played with ten men for half an hour after John Mensah was sent off for a professional foul. “My team are heroes,” Claude Le Roy, the triumphant Ghana coach, said. “To come back with ten players against a team like Nigeria and to deserve to win, I am so proud to be the boss of this team.”

Ghana will play either Cameroon or Tunisia in the semi-finals on Thursday. “I have to congratulate Ghana, but you can’t afford to make mistakes,” Vogts said. “I am very disappointed that we lost, but you saw that the Ghana team had a lot more experience. Most of them played in the World Cup. We can hold our heads up because we gave 100 per cent today.”

Nigeria players returning to England: Yakubu Ayegbeni (Everton), John Obi Mikel (Chelsea), Obafemi Martins (Newcastle United), John Utaka (Portsmouth), Kanu (Portsmouth), Joseph Yobo (Everton), Dickson Etuhu (Sunderland), Danny Shittu (Watford), Seyi Olofinjana (Wolverhampton Wanderers).

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