The Elephants were the last of three teams involved in the quarterfinals -- Guinea and Democratic Republic of Congo being the other two -- who took to the pitch with far more weighing on their shoulders than just saving either their reputations or their coach's job.

Other richer and untroubled nations take pride in their team's success but neither that nor failure affects them as deeply as those whose daily lives are racked by abject poverty, famine or civil war.

The Ivory Coast players may be fed up when a loss can result in them being booed and heckled and pushed around in Abidjan.

But they are just as well aware that with the country split in two for the past four years and no sign of the strife abating that they can help bring a momentary bit of pleasure to both sides of the divide.

"We have a real responsibility, because our country is at war," defender Kolo Toure said earlier this year.

"We want to show there is more to Ivory Coast than just fighting, and we know all the country is counting on us to give a good account of ourselves," added the Arsenal star.

Indeed there cannot be too many sides, who having qualified for the first time ever for a World Cup finals as Ivory Coast did last year, celebrated by first kneeling down in the dressingroom -- led by captain Didier Drogba and reciting a peace prayer.

"Ivorians we ask for your forgiveness. Let us come together and put this war behind us," prayed the squad, who bridge the divide with players coming from both the north and the south.

Democratic Republic of Congo has experienced an even more violent civil war which has claimed masses of lives and left many homeless and their players -- some of whom are hardly the image of the well paid professional earning just 30 US dollars (a fortune to many Congolese) a match for their domestic clubs -- are well aware of their responsibility.

"The people have really suffered and have had no reason to enjoy life," said their 25-year-old captain Lomana LuaLua.

"We at least can help out a little, and give them a reason to smile," added LuaLua, who has lived in England since he was 10.

However he was unable to give the DRC a reason to smile longer as they were beaten 4-1 by hosts Egypt on Friday, but for him the important thing was that they acquitted themselves well and gave the DRC citizens two weeks of something else to focus on.

Guinea too exited in the quarterfinals, 3-2 to Senegal, but again the result was not as important as the fact they had a point to prove to their impoverished compatriots.

"A lot of people in Guinea point at us when we return home and say that we only come back for holidays and to show off that we are richer than they are," said their star playmaker Pascal Feindouno.

"What we have achieved here (they topped their group with three victories from their three matches) has hopefully proven those people wrong and given the Guinean people pride in us and temporarily taken their minds off their daily hardships," added Feindouno, who scored four goals in the tournament.

Not the usual sentiments or motivations of the wealthy European international players.

But then playing for an African nation isn't simply about things happening on the pitch -- it is not about personal glory, it is about giving blighted nations with oppressed people a rare chance of experiencing the 'feel good factor' no matter how illusory it really is.