MALABO / NDOLA — Equatorial Guinea secured their place in the highly anticipated 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Côte d’Ivoire, with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Tunisia.
It was a disheartening evening for the African powerhouses as both Morocco and Tunisia succumbed to defeat, leaving South Africa and Equatorial Guinea celebrating their triumphs.
Equatorial Guinea 1-0 Tunisia
Equatorial Guinea entered the match requiring just a single point to secure their qualification for the AFCON 2023, joining Tunisia, who had already secured their place in the prestigious tournament.
The first half of the Group J game provided few scoring opportunities for both teams.
As the second half kicked off, spectators at the Malabo stadium witnessed a scrappy affair with only a handful of set pieces injecting some life into the proceedings.
One such moment came when Miranda’s strike for the Nzalang Nacional took a deflection, causing a brief surge of excitement.
In the 81st minute, Miranda was fouled by Kechrida, resulting in a penalty.
Equatorial Guinean captain Emilio Nsue stepped up and calmly converted the spot-kick. The Central Africans exacted revenge following their 4-0 defeat in the first leg against Tunisia.
In other Group J game, Botswana defCôte d’Ivoireeated Libya 1-0 Francistown Stadium to give the home side their first win of the qualifying campaign.
Gape Mohutsiwa scored the only goal of the match on the stroke of half-time to help the Zebras fans jubilate their first victory of the qualifying group.
The victory helped Botswana to leapfrog their opponents and move to third in the group but both sides have no chance of qualifying for the competition to be held in Cote d’Ivoire.
South Africa 2-1 Morocco
South Africa produced a captivating display to defeat Morocco 2-1 in the AFCON 2023 qualifiers.
The clash between these two qualified teams showcased the prowess of two African football giants. Playing in front of their home crowd, South Africa took control of the game from the outset.
The Moroccans, perhaps fatigued after a demanding season that saw them reach the semifinals of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, struggled to impose their game against the resolute Bafana Bafana.
South Africa wasted no time asserting their dominance, as Percy Tau’s cross led to an unfortunate own goal by Munir El Kajoui, the Moroccan goalkeeper.
The second half began with South Africa maintaining their momentum, taking advantage of the Atlas Lions’ defensive vulnerability. Zakhele Lepasa capitalized on a defensive lapse to extend South Africa’s lead.
The FNB Stadium was abuzz with excitement, with CAF President Patrice Motsepe in attendance to witness this high-profile encounter.
However, the Atlas Lions refused to surrender. Hakim Ziyech showcased his brilliance by scoring a magnificent left-footed shot, sparking hope for Morocco’s comeback.
Yet, it proved insufficient as the North Africans suffered their first official defeat since their World Cup elimination.
Zambia beats Côte d’Ivoire
Zambia secured a ticket to the AFCON Côte d’Ivoire 2023, after beating the already qualified hosts 3-0 at the Levy Mwanawasa Stadium in Ndola.
Patson Daka and Kings Kangwa’s second half goals added on to a Serge Aurier own goal in the first half, as Avram Grant’s Chipolopolo stormed into the tournament in style. The victory at home pushed Zambia to 12 points top of Group H with one match remaining, two ahead of the Ivorians.
The group is now closed, as only one team could progress from there. The 2012 champions are making a return to the tournament for the first time since 2015 after missing the last three editions.
Powered on by a full capacity crowd in Ndola, Zambia started well and had a strong of chances with the forward duo of Patson Daka and Fashion Sakala being a constant threat. They broke the lead on the half hour mark when Aurier scored into his own net after being put under pressure by Daka.
They went to the break with a single goal lead, and on the balance of chances, should have had more.
They needed just two minutes after the break to double their lead, Daka finding the net with a neat finish. Seven minutes later, it was game over when Kangwa got the third and the Zambians were surely flying into qualification.
The Ivorians attempted to make a response with the final 20 minutes of the game. Ibrahim Sangare had a shot from the edge of the box fly inches over while substitute Max Gradel saw his well weighted freekick tipped over the bar.
Zambia managed to hold on to the score and a clean sheet, announcing their qualification in style.
Meanwhile in the other Group H match played in Johannesburg, Youssouf M’Changama scored a 90th minute goal as Comoros beat Lesotho 1-0 to cement their hold on third spot with six points, though both sides are out of contention for a place in the tournament after Zambia’s win.
Lesotho will finish bottom as they have just one single point following their fourth defeat in the group.
Central Africa Republic 1-2 Angola
Elsewhere in Douala, Felicio Mendes ‘Milson’ Joao scored four minutes from time, as Angola edged out the Central Africa Republic 2-1 to keep their hopes of qualification alive. The goal saw Angola move second in Group E with eight points, one ahead of CAR.
Both sides were in a must win situation, but it was CAR who had their hearts broken at home in their quest for a first ever qualification to the tournament.
They had to come from a goal down, their superstar skipper Geoffrey Kondogbia equalizing in the second half after Gaspar Kialonga had given Angola an early lead.
They also had to finish the match with 10 men after goalkeeper Dominique Junior Youfeigane was sent off in the 70th minute.
Kialonga had given Angola a 12th minute lead, but Kondogbia drew his side level just a minute after the restart, finishing off a pass from Karl Namnganda who had just come on.
But, they were heartbroken in the 86th minute when Milson scored from a corner, with substitute goalkeeper Alladoum Kolimba misjudging his flight.
Heading into the final round of matches in September, Angola have fate in their hands and only need to win against bottom side Madagascar to qualify, while the CAR must beat Ghana and hope the Angolans lose.
