By Julu M. Johnson, Jr.

The 2008 edition of the Amputee African Cup of Nations is currently taking place in Liberia.

Liberia on Thursday, April 3, 2008, dragged Angola 2-0 in the final match of the first phase of the competition. The host got one goal in each half.

Nigeria defeated Angola 2-0 on Wednesday, April 2, 2008. The previous day saw Sierra Leone shocking Nigeria's Special Eagles 3-1.

The defending champions Ghana failed to show up in Monrovia, so, there are only the host Liberia, Angola, Sierra Leone and Nigeria that are taking part in the second edition of the competition.

During the opening day on Sunday, March 30, at the Antoinette Tubman Stadium (ATS), Liberia whipped Sierra Leone 2-0.

Nigeria was scheduled to meet Ghana in the day's second encounter, but the latter's failure to show up prevented the match from taking place.

The Amputee Nations Cup continued on Monday, March 31, 2008 as Angola and Sierra Leone ended the day's first match 2-2. Sierra Leone missed a penalty in the dying minutes.

Later, the host Liberia was struck 1-0 in the second half by Nigeria. The Liberians could have drawn the match, but the host team hit an awarded penalty on the goal post.

Interestingly, fans are paying no fees for entry at the stadium. The four teams are involved in a league system before going for the semi finals on Friday, April 4, 2008, with Liberia against Nigeria and Sierra Leone facing Angola.

The Amputee African Cup of Nations was first held in Sierra Leone, where Liberia finished in second place in 2006. Liberia also took part in the Amputee World Cup in Turkey last year.