The 2013 Africa Cup of Nations provides up-and-coming players with the perfect opportunity to strut their stuff.
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Predict result and win big with Soccer6
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This is the players who caught the eye on day 3 of the competition.
Zambia v Ethiopia
There were a fair few people who had every right to feel aggrieved by the vuvuzela-throwing antics of the Ethiopian fans during Monday's 1-1 draw with Zambia. The coaches and substitutes were forced to take shelter in their respective dugouts, officials were in danger of being hit by flying water bottles and photographers also found themselves in the line of fire.
But in a strange sense, Saladin Said also lost out because the crowd's antics detracted from an outstanding performance by the Ethiopian striker, who was easily the best player on the pitch.
Sure, he did have a penalty saved in the 25th minute when his weak effort was parried away by Kennedy Mweene, but on any other pitch Said would already have put his team in front when he brilliantly chipped the goalkeeper, only for the sandy surface to make the ball bounce over the crossbar.
And it was Said who provided the assist for substitute Adane Girma to level the scores in the 65th minute, stunning the defending champions and changing the mood among the 10,000 Walya fans.
That assist was a perfect example of Said's ability, as he held the ball up under pressure from a couple of defenders before timing his layoff to perfection. It was something he had been doing all evening, giving a generally solid defensive pairing of Stopilla Sunzu and Hichani Himoonde a torrid time.
Ethiopia coach Sewnet Bishaw made some ludicrous claims in his post-match press conference - among them that his goalkeeper should not have seen red for a horrendous challenge and that the reaction of the fans was "normal" - but he did make one less foolish assessment about Said.
His halting English is best paraphrased, but essentially he credited Said's ability to hold off several defenders on his own for Ethiopia's turnaround in the second half when they were a man down, pointing out that that alone scratched out Zambia's numerical advantage in midfield.
Said's performance would have come as no surprise to Ethiopian fans - he already holds the transfer record for his country after Egyptian side Wadi Degla paid $240,000 (or 2,040,000 Ethiopian birr) to take him from Saint George FC in Ethiopia.
He's still the only Walya Antelopes player plying his trade outside of his own country. A few more performances like Monday's and he may be finding a club even further away from home.
Miles Maponyera
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